Curmudgeon's Corner

Washington County Dust-Up

Posted by Al Campbell on April 19, 2010

County Board, Political

Two Washington County Supervisors were excluded from a closed session of the Washington County Executive Committee on March 24, 2009 by Chairman Herb Tennies.  The Supervisors were Bill Meyers and Don Bercham.  Meyers says that he told the Chairman that he had a right to attend since he was a Supervisor; Tennies apparently said that his rule was to the contrary and advised the Supervisors they were to leave the room.

Supervisor Meyers wrote to the Washington County District Attorney, Todd Martens on March 28, 2009 to complain about his exclusion from the meeting.  Martens wrote back to Meyers on April 1, 2009 advising that the County Board had the authority to bar Supervisors from some meetings but he apparently found no indication that such a rule had ever been adopted.  Since no request for any further action had been made, Martens took none.

On April 14, 2009, the two Supervisors wrote to the D.A. requesting that he take action. The D.A. responded on May 11, 2009 to advise that he had requested, and Judge Patrick Faragher had ordered, the Milwaukee County District Attorney to review the complaint.

The Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County filed a complaint on July 30, 2009.  County Board Chairman Tennies responded through his counsel on August 13, 2009 denying the allegations and seeking dismissal of the complaint.

The case is due for discussion on April 21, 2010 and for a Court Hearing in Ozaukee County on April 26, 2010.

Based upon the various documents that are available to the public, it seems that Tennies would’ve saved everyone time and money if he had simply acquiesced and then followed up with the Ordinance to amend Sec. 208 dealing with Open Meetings.