Tess Serrano has resigned from the Shawano County Board of Supervisors, accusing Chairman Tom Kautza of not respecting her when she requested committee assignment for the next two years.
“It’s simple really,” she said. “Tom didn’t consider my No. 1 choice for the committees assignments as we are required to do for the board.”
Kautza, now in his fourth term as chairman, said placing 27 supervisors across nearly two dozen committees is one of the most thankless jobs as board chairman. He said not everyone can get what they want.
The public safety, executive, and highway and parks committees are the most requested, as most supervisors see them as the most powerful, he said.
After the spring election, all supervisors file requests for which committees they want to serve on for their term. The chairman appoints members to a committee on committees to sort through the requests and make recommendations to the chairman.
Serrano has served multiple times on the public safety committee, including the past four years as chairman. She requested that committee again this year.
Instead, she was assigned to the capital improvement projects committee; planning, development and zoning committee; and the joint city/county transportation advisory committee.
“I don’t think that the folks who were on the committee on committees were able to review the sheets beforehand. Only Tom was,” Serrano said. “So what was the purpose of this? He selected who he wanted, where he wanted them to serve, all on his own agenda. I’ll bet that he said he did the legwork for them to speed the meeting along.”
Serrano and Kautza have often butted heads, most notably over pay raises and differential pay for corrections officers and dispatchers.
Also, Serrano and Supervisor Joe Miler were each nominated in April to run against Kautza as board chairman.
At the April 21 board meeting, Miller said he knows the rules that say the board chairman has final authority on committee assignments.
“Why have a committee on committees?” he asked. “It’s my understanding based on conversations with previous supervisors that served on the committee on committees that the decisions already been made before they show up.”
Serrano was unopposed in the April election.
“I’d like to thank the people who voted for me in April’s election and let them know that I appreciate the vote of confidence,” she said. “I can’t and won’t accept this treatment from anyone, especially the county board chair.”
Serrano represented District 27, which includes all of the towns of Hutchins and Almon, Mattoon, and Ward 2 in Bowler.
“It’s not fair,” Serrano said. “It isn’t right, and rather than sit on committees for two years that I did not choose, I resigned.”
Tom Kautza
Joe Miller
