Austin Hammond narrowly defeats Rebecca Nichols to become Menasha's youngest mayor

MENASHA — Voters chose Austin Hammond, who moved to the city three years ago, as their next mayor.

At age 26, Hammond becomes the youngest Menasha mayor in history, besting former Mayor Joe Laux, who was 31 when he was elected in 1988.

"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that folks trusted me with their vote to be the next mayor of Menasha," Hammond told The Post-Crescent.

Hammond defeated Rebecca Nichols by 102 votes in Tuesday's election to earn a four-year term in office, according to unofficial results. He will succeed incumbent Don Merkes, who didn't seek reelection after 16 years in office.

Reports from Winnebago and Calumet counties showed Hammond received 1,678 votes (51.6% of the total) in the nonpartisan race, and Nichols received 1,576 votes (48.4%).

Only three votes separated Hammond and Nichols in the Feb. 20 primary election.

By the numbers: Appleton-area election results

For Nichols, it was her second consecutive mayoral defeat. In 2020, she lost to Merkes.

"Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Hammond," Nichols said. "I wish him all the best in his new role."

In the days leading up to the election, Merkes had endorsed Hammond. That drew a response from Nichols on social media.

"I'm disappointed that Menasha's outgoing mayor is seeking to determine the outcome of the election by choosing his successor," Nichols wrote on her campaign Facebook page.

Nichols said late Tuesday that the endorsement "most definitely" played a role in the outcome.

Hammond raised nearly $12,000 and Nichols raised nearly $8,000 for their respective election campaigns, according to financial reports filed with the city clerk's office last week.

Hammond has served two years on the Common Council. His said his priorities as mayor will be economic responsibility, community pride, sustainability and affordable housing.

"Ultimately, I want government that works efficiently for all and that's transparent and accessible," he said. "I want to prioritize taking care of our water, and I really want to focus on downtown revitalization. All of those things are incredibly important to me."

Menasha City Clerk Valerie Neuman said the voter turnout was constant, with occasional lines.

“I don’t think people are being deterred from voting” by the snowy weather, Neuman said at 4 p.m. “People are still coming in pretty regularly. There hasn’t been any actual real lull.”

Neuman said one newly registered voter, who just turned 18, cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted only if the voter provides proof of identification by 4 p.m. Friday.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.