Dissatisfaction with how local representatives are chosen to serve on the Kickapoo Reserve Manage-ment Board led to an appearance of state representatives at the board’s meeting last Thursday.

Sen. Dan Kapanke and Rep. Lee Nerison appeared before the Kickapoo Reserve Management Board on April 17 in regard to the local nomination procedure to the board.

“Citizens are not satisfied by the governor’s appointments in the valley,” said Kapanke. “They feel the governor is not hearing their voices.”

The appearance of the two lawmakers was triggered by a letter sent to them on March 14 from George C. Wilbur. In the letter, he requested support of legislation to change the way in which the four local representatives are chosen for the KRMB.

The board has 11 members — four local representatives from the villages of Ontario and La Farge, the towns of Stark and Whitestown and the school districts of La Farge and Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton. Other representatives on the board are two members from the remainder of the Kickapoo Watershed, two are nominated by the Ho Chunk Nation and three board members are appointed at large by the governor to represent tourism, environment and education.

Presently the four local representatives are nominated by the local governing boards and then the governor appoints from the nominations.

During the discussion, Brad Steinmetz, town of Stark president said, “Now each local board does their selections differently.”

Kapanke and Nerison said they had talked with local residents and Wilbur noted in his letter, “There is dissatisfaction with the method in the valley because it permits excessive influence of the appointment by state employees.”

The letter asked for legislation to change the statute — each local board would cast one vote for each position open with the person receiving the most votes becoming a member of the board, thus bypassing the governor. If there was a tie, the governor would break the tie.

“We’re getting the bill drafted for changes,” said Nerison. But he went on to say nothing will happen until the new legislative session begins in January.

“We will hold a public meeting in the valley before anything is introduced,” said Kapanke.

Wilbur said in his letter that all the local boards but La Farge Village Board, which did not adopt due to a tie vote, have adopted the resolution requesting that Kapanke and Nerison introduce legislation to change the process of selection of “inner valley” representation.