Shorewood Hills board opens review of Village President’s duties amid trust concerns

The Village of Shorewood Hills Board of Trustees opened a governance review on Jan. 7, 2026, examining the scope of the Village President’s duties and how trustees and the Administrator should interact on developer communications and agenda-setting. The special meeting, called by Village President John Imes at 4:01 p.m., focused on whether structural changes could improve transparency and prevent one-sided decision-making.

Trustee Carol Barford framed the discussion as a first step to “examine how the roles of President, Trustees, and Administrator overlap and align,” and she proposed that the Board define privileges, expectations and disclosure practices rather than rely solely on informal norms. Barford also reviewed Wis. Stat. 19.44 and noted municipalities may adopt more stringent local rules for ethics and disclosures.

Several trustees voiced support for clearer procedures. Trustee Dietmar Bassuner said the meeting’s intent was to start the conversation and urged the Board to set expectations for conduct. Trustee Mark Lederer recommended that developers be directed first to the Administrator and that trustees use follow-up memos when they cannot all attend meetings. Trustee Kate Ullsvik proposed procedural changes requiring the Administrator to bring developer inquiries to the full Board and for trustees submitting agenda items to copy the full Board.

Trustee Shabnam Lotfi emphasized legal parity among trustees and the President, urging equal access to information and recommending exclusive use of village email accounts and a central document database. Lotfi also supported creating an ad hoc governance committee and a trustee manual.

Administrator Brian Mooney described a prior municipal practice in which the Administrator first hears developer inquiries, contacts the President to set a meeting, and then proceeds to bring matters to the Board or a committee. Mooney asked how any new disclosure policy would be administered and what role staff would play in investigating potential conflicts.

Village attorney Bill Cole cautioned against overly broad local ethics codes, saying smaller communities usually rely on state statute and warning that local codes can be weaponized; he also noted that Boards may have limited authority to compel certain financial disclosures from trustees.

The Board did not adopt any ordinance or formal amendment at the special meeting; Trustee Barford said she will draft a proposal to align the Village’s ethics code with state law and present it for Board consideration at the January meeting. The meeting concluded without votes on governance changes.