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Winnebago County board elects Frank Portello chair; Randy Hanson wins vice-chair race 18-16
Summary
At the April 21 organizational meeting the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors swore in members, elected Frank Portello as board chair and chose Randy Hanson as vice chair in an 18-16 vice-chair vote; staff also briefed supervisors on e-voting and portal use.
The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors held its organizational meeting April 21, during which newly appointed supervisors were sworn in, the board elected officers and staff provided a demonstration of the board's meeting portal and electronic voting features.
Judge Scott Woll administered the oath of office to newly appointed supervisors. Several supervisors introduced themselves for the record; the oath for Rita Sattler was recorded on the transcript as an example of the standard oath.
Following orientation remarks, nominees were presented for county board chair. After candidate introductions and a ballot procedure, Supervisor Frank Portello was announced as the new County Board Chair. Portello thanked the board and said he felt honored to serve.
Nominations for vice chair included Gerald Amos, Steve Bender and Connie Hansen. After two rounds of ballots and tallying by the clerk, the board recorded the vice-chair election 18 to 16 in favor of Supervisor Randy Hanson. The clerk announced the result and Hanson assumed the vice-chair role.
Information technology staff demonstrated the board portal, describing the difference between the public portal and the board portal, how to complete multi-factor authentication with a UbiKey, how to select "present and voting," how the request-to-speak button appears, and tips for troubleshooting voting pop-ups during meetings. IT staff and support personnel (including a staff member named Dia) offered one-on-one help for supervisors who had trouble logging in.
During public comment, Reverend Alan Rasmussen of Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church offered a blessing for the board's work. The board later approved appointments to committees (including the Committee on Committees) and adopted the 2026'28 rules package.
The meeting closed after miscellaneous business and a motion to adjourn.
Votes of record: the vice-chair tally was recorded as 18-16 in favor of Randy Hanson; other recorded actions (committee appointments, rules adoption) were carried by voice vote as shown in the transcript.
