Gragert Victorious in Eau Claire City Council President Race

Former City Council Member and community advocate Jeremy Gragert will officially be the next Eau Claire City Council President.

Gragert defeated former Senior Director of Governmental Affairs for the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Scott Rogers in Tuesday’s election, earning a little over 60 percent of the nearly 17,000 total votes cast. Current City Council President Emily Berge announced she would not run for the seat again in December in order to focus on her campaign for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District.

During his campaign, Gragert highlighted efforts to make Eau Claire a more affordable community and navigating uncertain times at the state and federal level as his main priorities as City Council President. He says he plans to work closely with the City Manager to ensure Eau Claire residents have a voice when discussing important issues, like a projected $2.2 million budget deficit in 2027.

The City Council is already exploring a number of options to close that budget gap, including transferring control of some recreational facilities to local partners. Gragert has also previously called for Eau Claire to receive more shared revenue from the state government to help address those budget issues, and said that the City should push for more local control in decision making.

After it became clear Gragert would win the race, Rogers said he was proud of the campaign that his team ran and that Gragert will have his full support moving forward, calling on supporters to continue working to make Eau Claire a great place to live. Gragert will serve a three year term as City Council President ending in 2029.