Weinkauf joins council

Chosen to finish

Albrecht's term

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--Sharon Weinkauf was selected by the City Council Friday from a field of three candidates to fill the remaining two years of Mayor-elect Joel Albrecht's term as councilor from Ward Three.

Deputy Sheriff Larry Wall and Renee Retzlaff, gourmet caterer, also had been interviewed for the appointment.

Weinkauf whose husband, Erv, recently was named police chief will take her seat on the council in January. Albrecht represented the ward for 10 years on the council.

A retail vice president at Valley Bank & Trust, Weinkauf said she didn't believe that having her spouse heading the police department would create a conflict of interest.

"It's my understanding that any potential conflict would be directly related to budgetary items involving the police department," she said. In those cases, Weinkauf said she would abstain from voting on the item.

Weinkauf said the involvement of her boss, VB&T President Mary Ellen Domeier, in the campaign by St. Mary's parish to have its school and convent removed from the historic preservation ordinance, wouldn't create any conflict, either.

"I'm free to vote my mind," Weinkauf said. "It's not any different than when I served on the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment. I can separate that out and did separate it when I was on those two boards."

Weinkauf who has been employed at the bank since 1989. She a member of the New Ulm Business & Retail Association's steering committee, financial officer of Bridging Brown County and a member of the Retail Retention and Development Committee.

Weinkauf was Athena Award recipient in 1997. She is a member of Sertoma Club and helped organize the National Guard Auxiliary. She joins Councilor Ruth Ann Webster as the council's second female member.

"We're looking at some tough times ahead in what we want to do for the city," she said. "However, I'm excited about doing the forward-thinking that will be required to bring us through it."