"MOUNT PLEASANT — Kurt Wahlen’s tenure as village administrator ended Monday the same way it began — polarizing.
"As trustees continued to be split over his three-year tenure, the
Village Board in a special meeting unanimously approved a separation
agreement to formally part ways with Wahlen. The vote followed a
40-minute closed-session discussion."
"MOUNT PLEASANT — Kurt Wahlen appears to be on his way out as Mount Pleasant village administrator.
"The
Village Board has called a special meeting Monday to discuss a
separation agreement with Wahlen, whom the new board majority has
generally opposed.
"The
closed-session meeting has been set for 7:30 a.m. at Village Hall, 8811
Campus Drive. Board members then may reconvene in open session to vote
on matters discussed in closed session.
"Wahlen expects Monday will be his last day on the job.
"'Elections have consequences,' Wahlen said when reached by phone Thursday. 'That's what I'm facing here.'
"Power
on the factional Mount Pleasant Village Board shifted after the April 5
election, with the new majority often at odds with the current
administration. The most high-profile example is a controversial Highway
V water and sewer project, which Wahlen helped bring to passage before
the election.
"Questions over Wahlen's job status were first raised June 3, when the board met for 90 minutes in closed session about his contract, which had expired three weeks earlier.
"Talks about extending the contract never materialized, Wahlen said.
"In another meeting, a fired employee took to a public forum to make a variety of claims about 'questionable practices' under Wahlen, who denies the claims.
"It's
been part of a turbulent period for the board after two incumbents were
unseated in April, in a race driven by their support for the Highway V
project. In recent weeks, the board has clashed over closed-session
meetings, special assessments for water mains and grant funding for Pike
River work.
"Wahlen, the former Racine police chief, began his tenure as Mount Pleasant village administrator in 2013.
"'It's time for the village to move on, and if it means getting me out of the way, so be it,' Wahlen said.
"Village
Board members and Village President Jerry Garski could not be reached
for comment Thursday. The village canceled its regularly-scheduled
Monday night meeting."
"The CHALLENGE for the Trustees: "Has MTP had enough? When will Residency restrictions be introduced?
When will those who are involved in Offices of Trust and Profit be
required to be MEMBERS and SHAREHOLDERS in the Community?
By Heather Asiyanbi in Government · June 13, 2016 · No comments "Former Mount Pleasant Payroll Coordinator Jillian Schumacher Monday
in public comments before the village board accused Village
Administrator Kurt Wahlen of firing her for being a whistleblower.
"Schumacher said she was fired unfairly and without any prior warning
because she questioned financial processes that didn’t align with the
personnel handbook or standard practices.
"'In short, I believe I was terminated for being a whistleblower and
not blindly following policies I felt were unprofessional,' she
continued.
"Specifically, Schumacher claims Wahlen fired her just four months
after she had a positive review during which she was awarded another
week of vacation and told she was on track to receive a raise.
Schumacher worked for Mount Pleasant for 13 months.
"'In January of 2016 my vacation was increased to 3 weeks and I was on
schedule for a raise. I had received no verbal or written warnings and
no suspensions as outlined in the discipline section of the personnel
manual. I had every reason to believe I was a competent and valued
employee,' her comments to trustees read.
"But, last month, Schumacher told the board that Wahlen called her
into his office and asked if she wanted to quit or be terminated. She
elected termination and said she believes Wahlen fired her because:
Pay for staff is arbitrary negotiated by the Village Administrator
on a personal basis rather than as a uniform employee policy. Pay for
similar positions vary without regard to experience or job description.
Raises are arbitrarily awarded or withheld and do not follow village personnel handbook guidelines.
Some salaried staff are allotted comp. time while others are not.
The result is that some staff are paid when absent and others have to
use vacation time.
Village fees were waived by staff for certain residents but charged to others – without oversight or board approval.
Fees and bills were not routinely deposited and at times were
allowed to collect in a box if staff was absent. In early 2016, during
property tax season, as much as $2 million dollars or more sat in the
village office without deposit – vulnerable to fraud or neglect.
Two village employees – Jo Gleason and Dianne Flannery – were paid
well over the $8.57/hour wage for poll workers on election day; Gleason
was allotted her regular rate of nearly $18/hour.
"When she brought her concerns to Wahlen, Schumacher said he threatened to 'dock' her pay. A few weeks later, he fired her.
"Board members were clearly surprised by Schumacher’s comments. After
the meeting, Village President Jerry Garski said he takes the
allegations seriously.
"'This was surprising … it’s the first we’ve heard of these issues, and we will look into them,' he said after the board meeting.
"He did not offer any additional comment.
"Wahlen was not at the meeting because he is on vacation this week.
Racine County Eye did send him an email to his village email address and
will update this story if we reach him for comment. His contract with
the village expired on May 13, and negotiations for a new one have not
begun, according to sources close to the village.
"To listen to Schumacher’s comments, click the link below:"
Tags: Mount Pleasant Village Board "An exclusive recording of the Village of Mt. Pleasant Special
Personnel Committee was recorded for Racine County Eye. Click on the
play button to hear this recording. Total length: slightly longer than 8
minutes total.
"During the recording and in the attempt to bring up the audio on weak
loudness Public Commenters, the loudness of the recording increased
suddenly. Please be aware of this which occurred at about 3 1/2 minutes
into the recording. We apologize for any inconvenience. "To see the agenda for this meeting click here. "Summary: "A Special Personnel Committee meeting was convened at 4:00 pm on June
3, 2016 to apparently discuss Administrator Kurt Wahlen’s contract with
the Village of Mount Pleasant. More specifically to obtain 'Contract
Clarification.' During the public comment period, Kurt Wahlen spoke and
requested that the committee stay in open session. Former Trustee Anna
Marie Clausen & current Trustee Dave Degroot also spoke in favor of
staying in open session. However, the Village Attorney said that he
would not be able to share contract information with the committee if it
was held in open session. When a vote was taken, the committee voted
to go into closed session. "When the committee returned into open session, President Garski
reported out of the closed session by stating 'through our discussions,
we got the contract clarification that we wanted.' "Wahlen was hired in May 2013 during a board meeting at which former
Trustee Don Schulz, Feest and Garski – who was a trustee at the time –
objected to the way his candidacy was presented by then President Mark
Gleason. Wahlen was given a two-year contract with a one-year review,
and a new two-contract in 2014 apparently retroactive to May 2014. This
would apparently put Wahlen’s contract as expired as of last month and
on a per day to day employment without a current contract. "After the meeting, Trustee Gary Feest was questioned about the status
of Walhen’s employment. His answer was 'Kurt Wahlen will be here on
Monday.'
"Apparently in question, was the end date of Wahlen’s contract."
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