City of Sheboygan begins process to remove City Attorney from ballot
If approved, the Common Council will have the power to appoint the City Attorney
SHEBOYGAN — The Sheboygan Common Council is poised to strip voters from electing their City Attorney and giving the power to alderpersons.
On Monday evening, members of the Finance and Personnel Committee voted to recommend amending the charter of the City of Sheboygan related to the manner of selection and tenure of the City Attorney. Voting in favor were District 3 Alderman Michael Close, District 6 Alderman Dean Dekker and District 9 Alderman Trey Mitchell. District 4 Alderman Robert La Fave and District 7 Alderwoman Grazia Perrella were absent and did not vote.
The committee will now refer the proposal before the Common Council for a full vote. However, it is ultimately up to Mayor Ryan Sorenson to decide whether the recommendation is included or delayed for consideration. If the Common Council approves stripping voters of the ability to vote for the City Attorney, the Charter Ordinance shall take effect 60 days after its passage. In the event that such a referendum petition is filed with the City Clerk, the ordinance shall not take effect unless approved by voters in the referendum election.
The proposal was introduced by Aldermen Dekker and Mitchell. “By having it be an elected position, an incentive structure antithetical to the expectations for the office is created,” said Mitchell when WKTS News asked why he believes the position should be appointed. “Being an elected official comes with an inherent sensitivity to public perception of your actions and statements.” He added that Sheboygan is one of the last municipalities in the state to elect its City Attorney. “Conversely, the city would best be served by in-house counsel that is empowered to provide unvarnished and objective legal advice.”
Dekker did not respond to our request for comment. He did reiterate his support for removing the City Attorney from the ballot during his remarks at the meeting. “I think this is the right way to go, we’re not bucking the trend by doing this,” Dekker said. “This way, we ensure that we can hire who we want.”
Also during the meeting, the committee voted to hire Attorney Nicholas Cerwin of von Briesen & Roper as outside legal counsel to represent the City of Sheboygan as Interim City Attorney. In April, City Attorney Charles Adams abruptly resigned halfway through his four-year term. He was first elected in April 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023.
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