CLINTONVILLE, WI (WTAQ) - Over one hundred people attended Tuesday night's Clintonville City Council meeting, and heard the council members say the mayor has failed to perform her duties.
Council members held a vote of no confidence in Mayor Judith Magee, which was approved 6-4. That symbolic gesture followed a 6-4 vote to override Magee's veto that prevented an investigation of alleged misconduct into city administrator Lisa Kotter from going to a labor attorney. Seven votes were needed to get that override.
Kotter is accused of using the city of Clintonville's travel budget for family vacations. Her two-week suspension ended when Magee vetoed the move of the investigation to the labor attorney.
“I have always acted with the utmost respect for rules and laws within my position and I am thankful to the mayor for vetoing it,” Kotter told FOX 11.
“There were two issues. One was on veracity on her part and another was job performance with her not being in accordance with the law. For instance, we’re under a gag order to not talk about the investigation,” said Mary-Beth Keuster, who began the motion for the vote of no confidence.
Magee told FOX 11 that the vote of no confidence was a personal attack.
“I haven’t done anything that I believe is wrong. The state statute gives me the power to veto. The council people didn’t like the veto,” said Magee.
The council put off discussion of what to do with Kotter’s investigation.
“We will probably be calling a special meeting for next week. We won’t let it go until next month. I just spoke to Alderman Rose who had the initial proposal and we will be calling a special meeting to continue the investigation,” Keuster told FOX 11.
Taxpayers brought up one issue at the meeting: the cost of the Kotter investigation. To date, the city says it has spent $6,600 in legal fees.
Its budget is $10,000. That comes out of a $20,000 contingency fund for the whole city.
Kotter asked the council to share the information about her investigation. The council refrained because it says the investigation has not been officially closed.