MONROE - James A. Wyss, past Green County corporation counsel and assistant city attorney for the City of Monroe died Tuesday at the age of 60. Wyss was serving as city attorney and personnel director for Manitowoc.
Wyss was Green County corporation counsel from 1990 to1997, and Monroe's assistant city attorney from 1979 to 1982.
"Jim was very good at his job, smart, bright; he did an excellent job for Green County," Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said.
As corporation counsel, Wyss developed the Record Retention Ordinance, which describes when documents can be gotten rid of.
"He put in a tremendous amount of research," Doyle said. "It became a template for other counties and is widely used."
If there is one thing Doyle remembers best about Wyss, "it was his thoroughness."
"It's not that he didn't want to make a decision; it's that he didn't want to make a mistake," Doyle said.
As corporation counsel, Wyss also developed guardianship guidelines for Green County which were later adopted by the state.
But Wyss wasn't all work and no play. And Doyle realized early on that he and Wyss had similar types of personalities.
"Jim and I both had a wicked sense of humor and conspired a lot of different things around the courthouse," Doyle said, laughing.
But Doyle wouldn't elaborate.
"A lot of horsing around stuff ... it's been 10 years, I can't remember."
Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer recalls meeting Wyss one summer in the mid-1960s when they still were in college and working at the Joseph Huber Brewing Company.
"Jim was fun-loving, hard-working, bright, competent, an all-around good person," Beer said.
"We always talked at the brewery about going with the delivery trucks - that was before the teamsters unions," Beer said. "So one day we went to Chicago with the beer trucks to make deliveries. We weren't supposed to be doing that."
Wyss worked with the Viney, Schmidt, Beer, & Blum law firm in Monroe before opening a partnership.
Beer said Wyss was a C130 load master in the Air Force and served in Vietnam.
When the corporation counsel vacancy opened, Beer was on the selection committee.
District Attorney Gary Luhman said Wyss got the county ordinances "up to speed, recodifying and tidying them up."
"Jim, as corporation counsel, did an excellent job keeping things on an even keel," Luhman said. "What he was best at was getting things resolved without a lot of controversy. He was here during a time of labor negotiations. He was very fair."
Luhman said Wyss had a dry sense of humor, and always had a few good stories to tell about his days in the Air Force.
"The move to Manitowoc, he considered a career move, in a sense," Luhman said.
Wyss became Manitowoc's city attorney and personnel director in 1997. He is credited for putting together the deal with Central Brown County Water Authority to provide millions of gallons of water to six Green Bay-area communities and millions of dollars to Manitowoc.
Wyss had been on medical leave since mid-February for an undisclosed condition. Acting Manitowoc City Attorney Juliana Runzel said no on expected Wyss to die so soon, if at all.
Wyss was Green County corporation counsel from 1990 to1997, and Monroe's assistant city attorney from 1979 to 1982.
"Jim was very good at his job, smart, bright; he did an excellent job for Green County," Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said.
As corporation counsel, Wyss developed the Record Retention Ordinance, which describes when documents can be gotten rid of.
"He put in a tremendous amount of research," Doyle said. "It became a template for other counties and is widely used."
If there is one thing Doyle remembers best about Wyss, "it was his thoroughness."
"It's not that he didn't want to make a decision; it's that he didn't want to make a mistake," Doyle said.
As corporation counsel, Wyss also developed guardianship guidelines for Green County which were later adopted by the state.
But Wyss wasn't all work and no play. And Doyle realized early on that he and Wyss had similar types of personalities.
"Jim and I both had a wicked sense of humor and conspired a lot of different things around the courthouse," Doyle said, laughing.
But Doyle wouldn't elaborate.
"A lot of horsing around stuff ... it's been 10 years, I can't remember."
Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer recalls meeting Wyss one summer in the mid-1960s when they still were in college and working at the Joseph Huber Brewing Company.
"Jim was fun-loving, hard-working, bright, competent, an all-around good person," Beer said.
"We always talked at the brewery about going with the delivery trucks - that was before the teamsters unions," Beer said. "So one day we went to Chicago with the beer trucks to make deliveries. We weren't supposed to be doing that."
Wyss worked with the Viney, Schmidt, Beer, & Blum law firm in Monroe before opening a partnership.
Beer said Wyss was a C130 load master in the Air Force and served in Vietnam.
When the corporation counsel vacancy opened, Beer was on the selection committee.
District Attorney Gary Luhman said Wyss got the county ordinances "up to speed, recodifying and tidying them up."
"Jim, as corporation counsel, did an excellent job keeping things on an even keel," Luhman said. "What he was best at was getting things resolved without a lot of controversy. He was here during a time of labor negotiations. He was very fair."
Luhman said Wyss had a dry sense of humor, and always had a few good stories to tell about his days in the Air Force.
"The move to Manitowoc, he considered a career move, in a sense," Luhman said.
Wyss became Manitowoc's city attorney and personnel director in 1997. He is credited for putting together the deal with Central Brown County Water Authority to provide millions of gallons of water to six Green Bay-area communities and millions of dollars to Manitowoc.
Wyss had been on medical leave since mid-February for an undisclosed condition. Acting Manitowoc City Attorney Juliana Runzel said no on expected Wyss to die so soon, if at all.