Cass County commissioners approve a slate of board appointments including public works and behavioral health seats

The Cass County Board of Commissioners approved six appointments to local advisory bodies during a special meeting, voting to place Christopher Brooks and Ron Nagonski on the Board of Public Works and to fill seats on workforce, economic development and behavioral-health advisory boards.

The actions came after commissioners moved and seconded individual appointments. Christopher Brooks, identified in the meeting as an applicant from the Lakes Area Sewer Authority, was approved to the Board of Public Works. Commissioners later approved Ron Nagonski (described by a speaker as a plumber and a current or former public-works member) to the same board. Commissioners also approved Terry Rubenthaler to the Connexus Workforce Development Board to an unexpired term ending 06/30/2027; Ambrosia Nelden and Vicky Vaughn to the Economic Development Corporation Brownfield Development Authority; and Kayla Wisniewski to the Woodlands Behavioral Board.

The board made the appointments by motions read into the record and put to voice votes; speakers on the dais called for “aye” and the motions passed without recorded opposition. Several commissioners noted that some applications in the packet dated back nearly a year and that the appointments committee planned a meeting the following week (March 6) to continue processing applications. Commissioners urged members of the public to re-submit or update applications for still-open positions.

Commissioners did not provide additional details about candidates’ resumes or the number of votes cast for each motion beyond the recorded “aye” responses. The meeting record identifies the motions by the agenda numbers used during the session: M28-2025 (Christopher Brooks), M32-2025 (Ron Nagonski), M29-2025 (Terry Rubenthaler), M30-2025 (Ambrosia Nelden and Vicky Vaughn), and M31-2025 (Kayla Wisniewski). The Connexus appointment was explicitly tied to an unexpired term ending June 30, 2027; other term lengths were not specified in the discussion.

During a brief discussion about process, a commissioner said the appointments committee would in future place names it had recommended on the public agenda to streamline approvals. Another commissioner said the packet contained older applications and encouraged applicants who still wished to serve to reapply or update their submissions. The board opened public comment twice (once for agenda items and once for non-agenda items) and closed both without substantive public testimony on the appointments.

The meeting adjourned after the appointments and brief commissioner comments. Remaining open seats and the county’s process for filling them were left for follow-up at the appointments committee meeting and future full-board agendas.