Board President's Report

Transcript

Rescission of Deputy Clerk 2021 Canvassing

I would like to begin with an introduction to this agenda item to clarify some of the confusion around the recent board of canvassers procedures. According to State Statute 120.6(8) the Board Clerk can oversee the election and canvassing of school board members, and our local policy is similar to state statute. Because the Board Clerk is not always available at the district office to perform election duties, in the past the board has appointed a deputy clerk to help with these duties. On April 5, 2021 the Board Clerk assumed her full duties of overseeing the certification of the board election and canvassing process. I know this last-minute change caused some confusion in the community and on the board. No board members were aware of this change before it happened. To state it simply, the clerk just wanted to oversee the process herself and choose the canvassers. I would like to publicly state that Christy Westfall and the originally announced canvassers did nothing wrong or unethical, and they have the full confidence of the board. As Board President, I spent Monday at the District Office and we asked the Waukesha County Clerk Meg Wartman to help the Elmbrook Board Clerk Linda Boucher and I'd like to thank Meg for making herself available by phone in the afternoon to answer questions, and for spending time with us in the morning, as we certified the vote. This was done to complete the canvassing process as smoothly as possible. I would also like to thank Glen Allgaier, Chris Vanderbloemen and Steve McManus for their help as well.