Council approves Lemke’s appointment

By Robert Cloud

Nicole Lemke is the new city clerk in New London.

City council approved Mayor marker Herter’s appointment of Lemke at a special meeting on March 1. She began her position with the city on Tuesday, March 16.

“I love the idea of working in New London,” said Lemke, who moved to the area with her family in 2012.
Her oldest child began kindergarten that year.

Prior to moving here, Lemke’s parents purchased a cottage on the Wolf River, then later built a home near Shaw’s Landing.

The Lemkes bought her parents’ home.

An alumni of Hortonville High School, Lemke obtained her bachelor’s degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She double majored in communications/lingustics and Spanish.

She earned her master’s degree in communication from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

Lemke worked as the homebuyer program manager for Appleton Housing Authority from November 2016 until she started working for the city of New London.

Her responsibilities included screening potential clients for eligibility based on asset and income guidelines in Outagamie and Calumet counties.

From April 2013 to October 2016, Lemke was the program services coordinator for the Fair Housing Center of Northeast Wisconsin in Appleton.

She was the intercultural relations coordinator for the city of Appleton from February 2007 to October 2009. She advised the mayor and trained city staff on issues of diversity and inclusion.

Lemke’s experience also includes teaching English in Wuxi, China.

She has been a New London Youth Basketball coach since 2015, a member of the Outagamie Waupaca Library System Board of Trustees from 2013-14 and an English tutor for the Fox Valley Literacy Coalition from 2007-09.

“I don’t have experience being a clerk, but I have experience working with municipalities,” Lemke said.

Lemke said she will be training with Sue Tennie, who retired as New London’s city clerk in the spring of 2018 and has worked as deputy clerk since Jackie Beyer resigned following the 2020 election.

“I think elections are important and I wanted to be part of that process,” Lemke said. “I’m excited to get an election under my belt.”

The next election is on April 6.

In addition to the shorter commute to work, Lemke said she looks forward to working with the other staff at city hall.