Jennings opposes mayoral appointments for two city committees
By Brandi Makuski
District 1 Councilwoman Tori Jennings on Monday voiced her opposition to two mayoral appointments up for Council approval.
Mayor Mike Wiza chose appointments for the city’s Affirmative Action Fair Housing Commission, Housing Authority, and Board of Public Works. Jennings said she believed there were better candidates for the latter two.
For the BPW, Wiza was replacing Board Member Corey Ladick, the city treasurer. Ladick was forced to give up the role when the City Council in May changed an ordinance requiring a member of the public to serve on the Board instead. The Board has one-year terms and Ladick’s had about eight months remaining.
Wiza chose city resident Fred Hopfensperger to fill the position. Hopfensperger spent 35 years working in the Surplus Office and maintenance department at UW-Stevens Point, according to his resume, and he has spent the past 18 years serving on the city’s Transportation Commission. He also listed involvement with Boy Scouts and youth sports on his application.
Jennings said she didn’t believe his application included much relevant experience.
“He served a long time on the Transportation Commission, which has almost nothing to do with the kind of decision-making taken up by the Board of Public Works. The Transportation Commission focuses on [city] buses,” Jennings said.
Jennings referred to city streets as “the neurology of our city,” saying it was the most “important and expensive capital asset we have.”
“Replacing Corey Ladick, the person who probably knows more than anyone about the economic impacts of our street infrastructure—and our overall economy and quality of life—should be replaced by someone who brings a background and knowledge to the table, able to navigate controversial decisions about roadways that are coming forward,” Jennings said.
She also expressed concern with Wiza’s appointee for the city’s Housing Authority, saying she believed another application had a better perspective on living in the city’s low-income properties.
“In terms of the applicant for the Housing Authority, [they are] certainly well qualified, however, my understanding is that James Evans applied for the Housing Authority,” Jennings said. “He is a long-term resident of the Hi-Rise and has for years been assisting people at the Hi-Rise in innumerable ways. As a Person of Color, he brings a unique perspective to the Housing Authority and can speak from experiential knowledge about Hi-Rise issues and similar issues that affect other facilities.”
Wiza chose for his Housing Authority appointee Eric Riskus, the independent living program director at Midstate Independent Living Choices. MILC works with developmentally disabled adults to help them live as independently as possible.
Resident Karalyn Peterson, who has been working as a resource coordinator at MILC for the past 16 years, was appointed to the Affirmative Action Fair Housing Commission. Jennings said she did not oppose that appointment.
“I want the public and Council to be mindful that mayoral appointments to committees, commissions, and boards are very much a political act, just as they are for the county, the state governor, and the United States President,” Jennings said.
It was not immediately clear how many people applied for the three spots. Hopfensperger’s term ends in April 2022 and Riskus’s term expires in December 2024. There is no expiration on Peterson’s term.
Jennings was the only Council member to speak on the subject and there was no public comment. She and Council President Meleesa Johnson (District 5) provided the only dissenting votes on the appointments.