Steve Zittergruen is the newest Decorah City Council member

On a 4-2 vote, the Decorah City Council has named Steve Zittergruen to the vacant 5th Ward position on the city council.

The action came Monday night after hearing from the two candidates for the position--Zittergruen and former Winneshiek County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Felton.

All current members thanked both men for applying for the position and said their choice was difficult to make because both applicants are well-qualified.

Zittergruen, who moved to Decorah four years ago,  told city council members he would like to work on improving pedestrian access in town; on creating more child care opportunities; and on encouraging high speed Internet.  He said he saw his status as a relative newcomer to Decorah as being a positive, since "there's a value to having different perspectives."