Kronenwetter Village Hall. MWC file photo.
KRONENWETTER, WI (WSAU) – A local municipal clerk who has been in the news recently is resigning from her position.
According to a letter obtained by WSAU, Kronenwetter Village Clerk Bobbi Jo Birk-LaBarge has submitted her resignation notice to the village and will leave office on Saturday, November 23rd. The notice states that Birk-LaBarge took issue with comments made by Trustee Ken Charneski, such as an email he sent to Village staff on November 8th blaming Birk-LaBarge for making the Village board look like “fools” and harming voter confidence in the community.
Birk-LaBarge continued by stating that Trustee Charneski’s alleged actions have had a negative impact on her overall mental health, and she believes Village President Chris Voll did not do enough to curb Charneski’s behavior toward staff, citing a cease-and-desist order he received in August for actions that violated the village’s “policies and ethical standards.” She also mentioned concerns about her financial incentives and a lack of performance assessments as reasons for leaving.
Birk-LaBarge was the subject of complaints to the Wisconsin Election Commission before last week’s election, including one incident in which she appeared in a photo holding dozens of absentee ballots in an unorganized manner, revealing some of the voters’ names and addresses. When WSAU asked if the Commission considered the photo a violation, a representative stated that because the viewable information was public record, it did not qualify as a violation.
The clerk position, along with the village’s open finance director position, will be posted for applicants to begin applying in the coming days.
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