OUR PLACE
Lake Geneva City Council met last Monday night. One of the items on the agenda was to make sure all alderperson positions were filled.
District 4 Alderperson Ken Howell has been out for medical issues for some time, and the seat needs to be filled as Howell is unsure when or if he will be able to resume his duties. Howell has been a vital part of city business for some time and his absence is noticed. Not only does he hold a seat on the council he sits on other city committees, commissions, and or boards. The discussion and action regarding the temporary appointment of Cathy Stoodley was eventually approved. The council was all in favor of Stoodley taking over Howell’s responsibilities but were on different pages on how the process should work.
Alderperson Fesenmaier and Frame were unsure if the procedure was being followed properly and had other ideas on how the situation should be handled. The City Attorney reminded the council that the council members do not have the power to designate but the mayor does. Some of the council members did not agree with this. Also, the Mayor had already designated Alderperson Ames to take over as chair of the Finance, License, and Regulation Committee for Howell. The determining factor for the mayor in the decision was that Ames had a little more experience with how meetings are run and Stoodley did not. Again, some council members wanted Stoodley to take over all of Howell’s duties, including the FLR Chair. All of the fuss surrounding this no-brainer appointment left Aimes in an awkward position.
Alderperson Hoiland also displayed frustration with the situation suggesting this was all a power play from certain Alderpersons. Cathy Stoodley ran in the most recent spring election against incumbent Cindy Yager. It was a close race with Yager remaining in her alderperson seat. With all this information, and with Stoodley’s willingness, resume, and volunteer application, she was a good choice for Howell’s temporary fill-in. Cathy Stoodley is currently on the Cemetery Board and Tourism Committee as a resident of the city. The position will have to be filled with someone other than her. Cathy Stoodley is happy to help out and the public is interested in what she will bring to the table.
