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Nieuwenhuis re-elected to mayor post

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Mel Nieuwenhuis

DELAVAN — Mayor Mel Nieuwenhuis is looking forward to looking forward.

Nieuwenhuis on Tuesday night was re-elected to his seat at the head of the Delavan City Council. He defeated council member Ron Siedelmann, who will keep his seat in Delavan’s 3rd District.

The city will obviously be watching the progress as Lake Lawn Resort works its way through legal and financial troubles. The resort faces foreclosure as well as a lawsuit from an Illinois developer.

But the council can be supportive of the resort owners, Nieuwenhuis said.

“Hopefully they will be able to work out the issues they have and keep doing what they intended to do,” he said. “It’s a win-win for everybody, if Lake Lawn is successful.”

The council must take a welcoming attitude rather than being abrasive with the resort, Nieuwenhuis said.

“I want the relationship to improve in the sense that instead of butting heads, let’s sit down and at some point see what comes out of this situation,” Nieuwenhuis said. “Let’s be more business friendly.”

In the “new business” front, Nieuwenhuis is looking forward to planning for a new fire station.

Nieuwenhuis and council member Dave Kilkenny also have met with representatives of the Delavan Historical Society to discuss the feasibility of renovating and preserving a deteriorating downtown Delavan landmark.

The former Israel Stowell Temperance House, 67 E. Walworth St., is the city’s oldest structure and is slated for demolition July 1.

The historical society could write a grant to preserve the building, Nieuwenhuis said.

“I think there’s a lot of interest in seeing what we can do,” he said.