How does someone become a member of the Wauwatosa Common Council?
For starters, you have to be a resident of the city. And you should have a desire for public service.
Scott Small qualified on both counts when he submitted nominating papers to run for the open council seat representing the newly drawn District 12. That district includes the northernmost neighborhoods of the city — everything within the city's boundaries between Capitol Drive and Hampton Avenue.
"I've always wanted to run for some sort of office," Small said. Once he and his wife, Veronica Small, decided to plant roots in Tosa, that checked off the residency requirement. They bought their house on 99th Street in the Tosa Heights neighborhood in June 2025.
As Small and the other 11 newly elected members of the Common Council prepare to take their seats at the council's April 28 meeting, Tosa Forward News is reporting on Small's experience running for office to offer readers some insight into the hurdles a candidate must clear to be elected to serve. And those hurdles are lower than many residents might think.
There is no age requirement, other than being old enough to vote. Small, at age 29, is the youngest of the 12 elected to the council.