Fond du Lac board to interview four applicants for open seat; appointment requires future vote
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Summary
The board received four letters of interest to fill a vacancy and agreed to hold public interviews; legal counsel said candidate evaluation generally does not qualify for closed session under state law, and any appointment would require a future noticed motion and vote.
Board members reviewed four applications for a board vacancy opened after Tom Oliver’s resignation and discussed how to proceed. The applicants named at the Feb. 16 workshop were Antonio Godfrey, Tenille Graff, Andrew Smedberg and Kathleen Christiansen.
Legal process and options: the board heard from legal counsel that, under Wis. Stat. ch. 19.85, the district generally cannot move candidate evaluation into a closed session unless the discussion fits a specific exemption (for example, if a board member knew a matter would cause reputational harm that fits an exemption). Counsel said appointment or interview conversations typically must be public.
Board discussion and schedule: several board members said they preferred public interviews for fairness and to assess candidates beyond application materials; one member noted Antonio Godfrey was already a candidate on the ballot and is familiar with district matters. The board tentatively agreed to schedule a public workshop to interview applicants (the presiding officer asked for candidate availability) and to bring any appointment to a future regular meeting by motion and roll-call vote; counsel said an appointment cannot be made that night because it was not properly noticed.
What happens if no appointment is made: legal counsel outlined that if the board declines to appoint, the board president may be empowered as the sole decision-maker to fill the vacancy under the board’s rules (per the counsel’s statement to the body), but the board discussed a preference for a group process and public interviews.
Next steps: staff will invite applicants to a public interview session; the board asked for themes and short questions the presiding officer will use in interviews and will aim to conduct interviews at a special workshop or a scheduled date when candidates are available. The appointed person — if appointed — would serve until the next applicable election year (counsel clarified the appointee would be required to run in the next election cycle to continue beyond the remainder of the current term).