Sheboygan Mayor vetoes Common Council over City Attorney hiring measure
Mayor Ryan Sorenson wants the non-elected City Attorney to report to the non-elected City Administrator rather than the elected members of the City Council
SHEBOYGAN — For the first time since taking office in April 2021, Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson has vetoed the Common Council’s decision making.
The Common Council voted unanimously on Monday, June 3rd to take away voters right to elect the City Attorney and instead give alderpersons the authority to hire the city’s attorney. District 7 Alderwoman Grazia Perrella amended the resolution to have the City Attorney report to the Common Council rather than the City Administrator. Her amended resolution passed by a 6 to 4 vote.
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In a letter dated on Wednesday, June 5th, Mayor Sorenson stated, “This ordinance was crafted with input from alders, extensive work by City staff in collaboration with outside legal counsel who collectively dedicated several months of thoughtful analysis. Unfortunately, the actions taken at the City Council meeting on Monday do not reflect sound policy-making practices. The process fell short of the standards of good policy development, and results in less effective governance.”
Alderwoman Perrella believes there should be a level of neutrality for the City Attorney. "Reporting to the Common Council, which is an elected body, is better served supported than reporting directly to the City Administrator.”
“The approach taken in this instance did not meet that standard, and as Mayor, I have a responsibility to ensure that our actions are both principled and informed,” added Mayor Sorenson. “For these reasons, I am compelled to veto the ordinance in its amended form.”
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