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Board approves Supervisor Coyle for utility association post despite conflict concerns
Summary
Marathon County supervisors voted to appoint Supervisor Kelly Coyle to a statewide utility advisory group after debate over whether his employment at a utility (WPS) presents a conflict of interest; corporation counsel advised there was no conflict in his legal opinion.
Marathon County supervisors voted May 26 to approve Supervisor Kelly Coyle’s appointment to the Wisconsin County’s Utility Tax Association (WCUA) after several supervisors raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest.
Supervisor Straub said he believed there was a conflict because Coyle works for a utility (WPS) and asked whether the board could refer the appointment to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission for guidance. Straub said residents who prepared to comment last week had been denied full public-comment time and that the ethics question remained unresolved.
Corporation counsel responded during the meeting that, in his legal opinion, there is no conflict of interest. He cautioned the board that seeking an advisory opinion from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission could take a year or more, during which Marathon County would lack representation on the utility association.
Supervisor John Robinson argued that the association is an advisory body that benefits from experienced representatives and noted past service by Supervisor Tom Rosenberg, who worked for Wisconsin Public Service and represented the county at the state level. Other supervisors expressed differing views about whether employment in the utility sector creates the appearance of a conflict.
The board proceeded to a vote on the appointment; the chair announced the motion carried but was not unanimous. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally of yes/no votes in the meeting record provided.
The appointment is to represent Marathon County on the WCUA, an advisory group that makes recommendations regarding utility aid and distribution of related payments; no formal change to county policy was made at the meeting.
