MONROE - The city ethics board agreed Friday that all three members of the Monroe Common Council should be allowed to vote which lawyer the city should hire - despite their personal and professional connections to members of both law firms seeking the position.
Aldermen Brooke Bauman, Michael Boyce and Jeff Newcomer were the subjects of discussion after Boyce raised the question of whether he was ethically allowed to decide between Voegeli, Ewald and Bartholf Law Offices and the other firm in question, Kittelsen, Barry, Wellington, Thompson and Schluesche. Todd Schluesche, who is a member of the Kittelsen firm, is Boyce's brother-in-law. Boyce also inquired about Bauman and Newcomer, who are both employed by the Monroe school district, while Dan Bartholf, a lawyer for the Voegeli, Ewald and Bartholf law firm, is a member of the school board.
In the end, the board decided none of the council members would be unethical in their choice to vote on the new city law firm.
"Voting for or against your brother-in-law is never an easy thing, but having the opinion of the ethics board makes me feel confident in whatever my choice will be," Boyce said. "This was to give confidence to everyone involved."
Language in the rules state immediate family, which includes a brother-in-law, is only an issue if the family members are financially dependent on one another in some way when they were related through marriage.
Ethics board chairman David Deininger, a former member of the Government Accountability Board, said he did not see a reason that Boyce voting on the new city attorney would be unethical.
"It's always a good idea to disclose this before a decision," Deininger said. "If you feel your relationship with Mr. Schluesche is so close you can't be objective, you can always decide not to vote."
Deininger added that was the case for both Bauman and Newcomer as well. Newcomer was recently hired as the permanent activities director of Monroe High School. Ethics board members said because Bartholf is one of nine people on the school board, and a member of government body which bears public scrutiny, it is unlikely that Bartholf would have enough authority over Newcomer to affect him directly.
Bauman, who works as a school representative for the Monroe Public Library, was present to discuss her position. As someone who can be both hired and fired by the library director, she said it did not seem to her that there was a direct unethical relation because Bartholf serves on the school board. And though he voted on her pay grade, she is one of a number of people in a uniform pay scale approved as a group.
The council heard presentations from both law firms May 17. Aldermen decided not to hire either firm that evening, but requested city administration evaluate both groups to recommend to council during its next meeting.
Aldermen Brooke Bauman, Michael Boyce and Jeff Newcomer were the subjects of discussion after Boyce raised the question of whether he was ethically allowed to decide between Voegeli, Ewald and Bartholf Law Offices and the other firm in question, Kittelsen, Barry, Wellington, Thompson and Schluesche. Todd Schluesche, who is a member of the Kittelsen firm, is Boyce's brother-in-law. Boyce also inquired about Bauman and Newcomer, who are both employed by the Monroe school district, while Dan Bartholf, a lawyer for the Voegeli, Ewald and Bartholf law firm, is a member of the school board.
In the end, the board decided none of the council members would be unethical in their choice to vote on the new city law firm.
"Voting for or against your brother-in-law is never an easy thing, but having the opinion of the ethics board makes me feel confident in whatever my choice will be," Boyce said. "This was to give confidence to everyone involved."
Language in the rules state immediate family, which includes a brother-in-law, is only an issue if the family members are financially dependent on one another in some way when they were related through marriage.
Ethics board chairman David Deininger, a former member of the Government Accountability Board, said he did not see a reason that Boyce voting on the new city attorney would be unethical.
"It's always a good idea to disclose this before a decision," Deininger said. "If you feel your relationship with Mr. Schluesche is so close you can't be objective, you can always decide not to vote."
Deininger added that was the case for both Bauman and Newcomer as well. Newcomer was recently hired as the permanent activities director of Monroe High School. Ethics board members said because Bartholf is one of nine people on the school board, and a member of government body which bears public scrutiny, it is unlikely that Bartholf would have enough authority over Newcomer to affect him directly.
Bauman, who works as a school representative for the Monroe Public Library, was present to discuss her position. As someone who can be both hired and fired by the library director, she said it did not seem to her that there was a direct unethical relation because Bartholf serves on the school board. And though he voted on her pay grade, she is one of a number of people in a uniform pay scale approved as a group.
The council heard presentations from both law firms May 17. Aldermen decided not to hire either firm that evening, but requested city administration evaluate both groups to recommend to council during its next meeting.