The Wayzata City Council voted 3-1 on Tuesday to appoint former council member Dan Koch to fill the vacancy created by Jeff Parkhill’s recent resignation.
The council interviewed four candidates in the council workshop—Adam Elg, Dan Koch, Bonnie Schwalbe, and Charles Yancy—all of whom brought highly skilled and qualified backgrounds to the process. Claudio Hofstadter was unavailable due to travel.
Koch previously served on the council from 2016 to 2020 and has remained active in civic roles, including the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the Interfaith Outreach Finance Committee, and as treasurer of the Wayzata Conservancy Board. He also served as board chair of the Greater Wayzata Area Chamber of Commerce.
In his interview with the council, Koch laid out three top priorities for the city. “Number one, I think, is to hire a … long-term city manager. That’s extremely important as we look to the future”. He also underscored the importance of growth management: “Development and thoughtful development has always been an issue here … there’s a lot of different opportunities with the east side of Wayzata Boulevard.” Finally, Koch pointed to city finances. “There’s been a lot of growth, a lot of changes. It’s put some strains on the budget … and so you’re always trying to balance.”
Koch told the council that his prior experience brings consistency during a time of transition. “I hope that my experience of time speaks for itself. You know what you’re getting. There’s not a lot of surprises.”
He added that he has not yet decided whether to seek a full term once the seat is up for election, noting that family circumstances will guide that decision.
Koch will serve out the remainder of Parkhill’s term, which runs through the end of 2026.
