Mayor William Chesen on 9.23.2009 appointed his cronies Larry Magee and Sturg Taggart to fill the seats of the elected Alderpersons he has “suspended.” The Mayor claims he has an agreement that these persons will serve in this capacity for a maximum of 90 days and they will not run for those positions if a special election is held.
Despite being held at 2:00 in the afternoon, this special meeting was mainly filled with citizens in opposition to Mayor Chesen. When the crowd started to laugh at the Mayor’s statement he threaten them with removal. A Walworth County Sheriff was there armed with a Taser. The Mayor several times seemed to be signaling him when laughter broke out; the officer didn’t move.
Mayor Chesen claimed this is the same appointment process Mr. Condos used when he was Mayor to replace the Huntress Brothers.
Spiro Condos then corrected him. The Huntress Brothers were not suspended, they quit and the council waited over two months for them to come back and then appointed replacements.
The vote to appoint Taggart and Magee was along party lines with Chesen’s supporters: Tolar, Marcella, and Krause voting for and Roehrer, Krohn, and Condos voting against. Mayor Chesen, broke the tie and voted for his own appointments.
Mayor Chesen stated that he reluctantly reinstated Roehrer, Krohn; it was the attorneys that strongly suggested he do so. (Dah, if there is not quorum there can be not council meetings.) He is not dropping the charges against Roehrer, Krohn; charges will go forward.
Mayor Chesen then tried to go into closed session, but Attorney Kyle Gulya suggested that since the city is not a party to any action the council should “forgo” the closed session at this time.
Attorney Kyle Gulya wanted the council to retain the services of his firm, van Briesen & Roper. Alderman Marcella makes a motion to retain them with Tolar seconding it.
Alderperson Roehrer then made a surprise offer.
“That in order to stop these extra Attorney fees the city is going to have to pay, and the continued legal fees in this whole mess,…the four aldermen who have charges pending are willing to drop the suit if you, Bill Chesen, as a citizen, will remove the charges and rescind the suspensions of the other two alderman and get on with the city’s business with the council that was elected.. .. And let the recalls and elections that occur as they may….. Otherwise it is going to be a long drawn out thing.”
Marcella defended the Mayor and said the charges have been filed and “I feel with substantial evidence to precede it…… and spend the money on it.”
Condos wanted to know where the money to pay these Attorneys is going to come from.
Krause moved to do it the “right way and put it before Finance on Monday”
Voting to table and send issue for legal services to finance Roehrer, Condos, Krause, Magee, Krohn.
Alderpersons Tolar, Taggert, and Marcella wanted to retain the Attorneys now, without knowing where the money was going to come from.
