Land Conservation Committee backs interview panel, administration to hire agriculture technician

The Ashland County Land Conservation Committee on a consensus voice vote expressed support for the interview committee's first-choice recommendation to fill the agriculture technician position and said it will rely on county administration to complete the hire.

The committee's county conservationist, Mary Jo (county conservationist), told members the office interviewed two finalists from a pool of six applicants and unanimously ranked Tim Mika, an Ashland County farmer with roughly 40 years of farming experience, as the top candidate. Mary Jo said the department conducted the interviews and recommended Mika as the first choice; she asked the committee whether the department should offer the position now.

Committee members supported following the interview committee's judgment rather than voting to appoint a specific person. George Boussay proposed a motion asking the committee to express confidence in the administration and the interview committee, and members indicated general approval. Dan (county administrator) clarified that the committee does not make the final hiring decision and that the administrative appointment will be made by county administration in consultation with Mary Jo.

Several members noted the applicant pool and background. Mary Jo said six people applied, four were recent college graduates without agriculture experience, and the department interviewed the two most qualified candidates: Mika and Mason Pomeroy, a recent University of Wisconsin'Stevens Point graduate working as an intern for Ozaukee County Land Conservation this summer. Committee members praised Mika's experience and local relationships; Pat Kinney and others said Mika had previously worked for the county and had experience with rotational grazing.

Committee discussion also disclosed a potential appearance-of-conflict concern: Dan stated that Mika is related by marriage to a current employee ("Scott's brother-in-law") and noted county handbook policies on such relationships. Several members said that awareness of the relationship was why the item was brought before the committee; George Boussay said he would abstain from a direct vote naming a person but would vote to rely on the interview committee's judgment. The committee agreed that, given county hiring procedures and the relationship disclosure, administration would handle the formal appointment.

The committee did not take a formal roll-call vote to appoint Mika; members recorded general approval of the interview panel's recommendation and asked administration to proceed. The record shows the committee requested that the county conservationist continue standard practice of providing letters of appreciation or recommendation for departing staff when appropriate.

The committee noted the department's interest in hiring an experienced candidate to continue local outreach and rotational-grazing efforts and said the chosen hire should build on prior work from former ag tech Matt Bolin.

Looking ahead, Mary Jo said the department will complete administrative hiring steps, set up payroll and equipment, and proceed with onboarding if administration approves the hire. No formal hiring action by the committee was recorded in the meeting minutes.