Board confirms John Light as Rock County administrator after debate over process and tenure

The Rock County Board of Supervisors confirmed John Light as county administrator by a roll-call vote of 19 yes, 7 no and 3 absent at its February 2025 meeting.

The vote followed extended debate among supervisors about the staff committee’s selection process and concerns about the candidate’s average job tenure. Supervisor Schneider asked for a roll-call vote and said she could not support the nominee because of what she described as an average job tenure of four years over the past 20 years, and questioned why the candidate left several prior positions after relatively short periods.

Supervisor Mark Schneider, speaking before the vote, said the board had a responsibility to present candidates who demonstrated long-term commitment and argued that the selection committee should have forwarded a list of three finalists to the full board rather than presenting a single recommended candidate. “Nine of 29 supervisors having the final say in the top candidate is not even a third of the supervisors on the county board,” Schneider said.

Supervisor Eric Schwartz expressed related concerns about the process and objected to what he described as public bias displayed during the candidate Q&A. “I was a little surprised at the public Q&A session and some of the biases I saw,” Schwartz said, adding that he would vote no because of how the final three candidates were winnowed, not because of the nominee’s abilities.

Other supervisors defended the selection process and urged colleagues to accept the staff committee’s recommendation. Supervisor Julie Towns said the committee had interviewed candidates and that the nomination was the product of a majority decision by the staff committee; she said she would vote yes and urged colleagues to support the committee’s choice. “This is the candidate that a strong majority of the county board staff committee has chosen to put forward,” Towns said.

Motion and vote details: the confirmation motion for appointment of the county administrator was made by Supervisor Boswick and seconded by Supervisor Mawhinney. A roll-call vote was requested; the clerk recorded 19 yes, 7 no and 3 absent. The motion passed.

After the vote, John Light addressed the board. “I look forward as your next county administrator to earning your trust and respect,” Light said, and added that the interview process and the people he met made accepting the job “an easy yes.”

Discussion and outcome were limited to the confirmation question; the board did not approve any additional directives or conditions attached to the appointment during the meeting.

What the debate covered: supervisors opposing the confirmation emphasized process concerns (that the staff committee’s final recommendation bypassed a full-board selection of finalists) and raised questions about the candidate’s prior job tenures at named jurisdictions. Supporters emphasized trust in the committee process and urged the board to accept the committee’s majority recommendation. No statutes or ordinance citations were offered during the discussion.

Next steps: the motion carried and the board adjourned other business to subsequent agendas. The administration will proceed with transition steps for the confirmed administrator.