The Meeting of the Common Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 14, 2006. It was noted
that the meeting had been announced and a notice posted at City Hall.
Roll call was taken, with the following members present: Mayor Jim Bialecki, Ald. Mike Giese, Ald. Jim
Olson, Ald. Diane Oldani Wulf, Ald. Gary Gonczy, Ald. Clarence Stellner, and
Ald. Kim Smith. Also in attendance were
Financial Services Director Fred Buehler, City Clerk Cari Burmaster, Land Use
and Development Director Jason Gilman, City Engineer Jarrod Holter, and Human
Resources Specialist Elsa Kulig.
Item 2 - Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was declared.
Item 3 - Approval of minutes from previous meeting.
Motion by Ald. Olson, second by Ald. Smith, to approve the minutes from
the previous meeting as printed and on file in the City Clerk’s Office. On voice vote, motion carried.
Item 4 - PUBLIC INPUT: (limited to 3 minutes/individual)
Mayor Bialecki turned the agenda item over to anyone wishing to provide
input.
Susan Kroner
“My husband is Officer Kroner, Badge No. 314. He has been a police officer for the Onalaska
Police Department for approximately 28 years.
I also was a reserve officer for approximately three years – two and a
half of those years as a secretary.
Tonight to the Onalaska City Council, we are the concerned families of
the Onalaska Police Department. We stand
together in our conviction that you can no longer fail to intervene on behalf
of the health and safety of those who are sworn to serve and to protect this
community. The current administration
threatens not only law enforcement effectiveness of the department, but also
the safety of the officers and community at large. Officers are at higher risk of illness and
injury working under the stressful conditions created by the current
administration. Police work is
unique. It is a career that often
requires split second judgments.
Virtually all of these decisions are subject to review. We are alarmed by how often our spouses
express the belief that whatever decisions they make will be used in a
disciplinary action weeks or months down the road. We fear that serious consequences will result
if officers begin to second guess themselves.
You do not need us to tell you that there are serious problems facing
this department. We are here to tell you
that we will not fail in our duty to protect our families. Concerned families of the Onalaska Police
Department unanimously resolve to continue our political action until a
healthy, safe, and productive working environment has been restored at the
Onalaska Police Department. Further,
because we unanimously agree that Randy Williams does not possess the
leadership necessary to meet these working conditions, we ask that the Common
Council immediately assign a mutually agreeable, neutral, outside arbitrator to
address our urgent concerns. We also ask
that Chief Randy Williams be put on administrative leave until such time as his
administration can be fully evaluated by the appropriate governing authority in
conjunction with this arbitrator. This
group will deem any proposed solution to this situation that does not involve a
completely independent arbitrator unacceptable. Sincerely, The Concerned Families of the
Onalaska Police Department. Thank you
for your time”.
Mayor Bialecki questioned if it would be appropriate to accept this
report from Mrs. Kroner on behalf of the group present tonight.
A member from the group indicated that all present are requesting to
speak tonight with some unable to attend this meeting.
Council members agreed to allow all present to speak.
In response to clarification from Ald. Gonczy, members wishing to speak
indicated their number with a show of hands for an approximate number of 12.
Mayor Bialecki and council members agreed.
Connie Young
“Good evening and thank you for allowing my voice to be heard. My name is Connie, the proud wife of Shawn
Young. Shawn has a Master’s Degree in
Criminal Justice and is the department’s only certified Vehicle Dynamics Crash Re-constructionist. Shawn has wanted to be a police officer since
he was a little boy. In April of ‘98 his
dream came true when he was sworn in as an officer of the Onalaska
Department. He enjoyed going out into
the community and making positive contact with citizens. His personnel file is filled with letters of
thanks from members of this community.
On October 27, Chief Williams and Captain Moan hand-delivered a letter
to Shawn at our home advising him that he was on administrative leave pending a
fitness-for-duty evaluation. Over a
third of the four-page letter sited that a large part of the administrative
leave was due to being too detailed in reports.
How can you be too detailed on police reports? I would also like to mention that one of the
reasons that thousands of city dollars was spent on reconstruction school for Shawn
was that he is so detail-oriented. Why
is it that by being detail-oriented was good in 2004 when he was completing
school, but now it is suddenly a problem?
Another incident noted in the letter involved Shawn saving a man’s
life. When responding to a call, Shawn
found a man bleeding to death from a self-inflicted neck wound. He was able to get behind the man who was
seated in a chair and firmly hold his head in place while applying pressure to
the wound. Chief Williams sited that Shawn
did not properly secure a knife that was sitting on a table near the
victim. Shawn was aware that the knife
was there, but was in complete control of the situation. It is very obvious that the Chief did not
verify his information because Shawn had handcuffed the person as soon as he
approached him. The paramedics that
arrived stated that because of Shawn’s actions, he saved that man’s life. He was told that he did a great job by those
involved at the scene, including Sergeant Labinski of
JoAnn Marcon
“My husband is Officer Chad Marcon who has been with the department ten
years this month. The first thing I need
to establish is that I have a fairly significant fear of public speaking. However, my fear of not speaking out tonight and
not having my concerns heard is an even greater fear. Our spouses no longer have what I thought was
a basic constitutional right of freedom of speech and, therefore, we are forced
to be their voices. I cannot stress to
you enough, how much my husband loves his job as police officer and takes great
pride in what he does. However, because
of the unending intimidation from the administration within the department, I
have seen his job go from what used to be a great source of pride to a source
of constant stress and worry. Worry for
his co-workers that the Chief is trying to bully out of their jobs and worry
for his own job, constantly living in fear of who will become the Chief’s next
target. Randy William’s attempts to
force subordinate officers to uphold and conceal a political agenda contrary to
their ethical, moral, and vocational responsibilities has resulted in many
stressful hours for our city’s police force.
Our officers have been forced to constantly evaluate their words and
actions against fly-by-night policies that violate everything they, as
officers, believe in. It is because
members of this force refused to cooperate with the Chief’s immoral, personal,
and political agenda, that we are here today.
I am also a citizen of Onalaska.
I used to be proud of that. I
don’t know that I can say that any longer.
How can I proudly say that I live in a city that condones sexual
harassment. As a woman, I am appalled,
beyond words, that a cover-up that went on in City Hall, that a motion camera
can be placed under a woman’s desk and isn’t considered sexual harassment is
absolutely inconceivable to me. I am
asking each of you council members to try and imagine if that had happened to
your wife or to your daughter, then honestly try and convince me that you
wouldn’t feel outraged at the complete lack of discipline that resulted –
except that is for the one person, Officer Kevin Johnson, who actually tried to
do what was morally right and that is the one person who is facing
termination. Another impact of the
actions of Randy Williams (besides wasted taxpayer dollars which should not go
unmentioned) is the damage to the reputation of this department as a
whole. Having jeopardized the reputation
of this department has, in fact, jeopardized the safety of our police
officers. Perception is everything and
the perception of our department today is weak and unstable. That is an impact to the safety of our
officers who, quite frankly, experience enough threat and danger in their daily
jobs without this added element. Their
effectiveness in the field has been jeopardized and as a direct result of the
conduct of Randy Williams. In my
opinion, there is only one solution to this problem and that is removing Randy
Williams from his position. Our officers
need and deserve a leader they can look up to and respect. We, as citizens, are grateful that elected
city officials will make it their personal responsibility to hold the chief
accountable for his actions. No one
should be above the law despite their rank in the system. Our officers need to be a primary concern to
this council. They have been wronged,
and we look to you to make this right.
Your understanding of the significance of our concern is
appreciated. Thank you”.
Nicole Robinson
“My husband has been a police officer here for 11 years, and I’m sure
many people are wondering right now why they are not voicing their concerns
about the department; and the reason is because they can’t. They fear retaliation and punishment by
administration for speaking up as concerned citizens as well as law abiding
police officers. By voicing their
concerns, they would also be violating many policies that Mr. Williams has
implemented over the past few years. Mr.
Williams has made a policy stating that an officer must speak to their
immediate supervisor about concerns first – they cannot go to a supervisor
above them even if that reporting supervisor is one they have a problem with or
a concern about. The officers are also
banned from going to City Hall for any reason without first asking permission
from their supervisor. So I ask you, how
can they bring up concerns about administration to City Hall if they can’t even
go into City Hall without a supervisor knowing.
The officers have filled out a questionnaire given to them by the Police
and Fire Commission regarding morale and what changes they felt needed to be
done to improve the department. My
question to the City Council is: Whatever
happened to that questionnaire and who is doing anything about what was
suggested? And oddly enough, if those
officers were given the same questionnaire today, they would be violating the
rules and regulations policy and could be reprimanded for filling it out. Another issue is a policy that Mr. Williams
has implemented forbidding the police officers to associate with anyone that is
under criminal investigation. Randy
Williams was under criminal investigation for six weeks and continued to work
and speak with the officers during this time.
Why did the City Council allow Williams to continue working (thus
putting officers in violation of rules and regulations policy) as it is
necessary to speak with him for fear of discipline if they do not. What puzzles me most is how Mr. Williams can
violate policy after policy and not get written up or put on administrative
leave for his actions. Did he notify his
supervisor when he was under criminal investigation? He continued to work. If any patrol officer was in that situation,
they would be put on administrative leave immediately. He did not pursue an investigation into a
sexual harassment case – which could be a felony crime, depending on what the
investigation uncovered. Why? Because the Mayor handled the investigation
himself. Is he more trained in
investigative work than the investigators and staff of the Onalaska Police Department? As a woman, I am appalled that this type of
conduct can go virtually unpunished in any business setting, much less a city
office. The administration of the OPD
needs to be held to its highest standard as the officers, if not a higher
standard, since they are the leaders of this department. There is currently a captain that does not
support Williams in his actions against the officers; and with his new
reorganization plan, Williams will most likely be able to successfully remove
him from a position of authority. The
writing seems to be on the wall – that if someone does not agree with Williams,
they will likely be disciplined, demoted, or terminated. Is this the type of environment the City of
Tracey Proctor
“I am wife of Rick Proctor who has worked with Onalaska PD for six
years. We stand before you tonight as
people trying to make a difference for a department in crisis. We ask you to be open in hearing us as you
are the people with the power to make the difference – the change. You see, the right to speak on their own
behalf was so conveniently taken away from the officers of this department by a
chief who desires to be the only one heard.
I want to speak to you tonight as you are council members with
families. Families who would also be
affected if you were to endure on a daily basis the sort of hostile work
environment this Chief of Police has created.
I am a firm believer that morale starts at the top. Randy Williams has held the power to remedy
the situation and restore peace to his workplace as an effective leader
would. He has not done so. In fact, he has so eloquently stated to his
officers that morale is not his problem.
He has not only chosen not to address the morale issues within this
department, but he has made it his personal goal to unnecessarily seek out
ridiculous reasons to either discipline or terminate his own officers – good
officers with good intentions – of protecting this community every day they
come to work. In turn, he has destroyed
the department further. This has nothing
to do with these officers complaining about being critiqued in their work. It has everything to do with them worrying on
a daily basis whether or not today will be the day they are sent home in
administrative leave and face termination.
It seems as though Mr. Williams has been so consumed with seeking out
wrongful discipline with officers and so much time and money has been spent
towards proceedings necessary for him to do so.
I have to wonder who is running the department. I would like to speak to you as a
professional in this community who also works with the public in a similar
manner to these fine officers. I can say
with confidence that working in public service holds stressors of its own on
many levels and I could not for one minute imagine doing it without the support
of my supervisors and management staff.
I see the physical toll this is taking on our officers and the stress it
has placed upon our families. You see –
we have the right to speak to each other and now we speak to you. Please hear us when we ask for your help in
resolving the crisis situation occurring at Onalaska Police Department. I am in full support of an outside arbitrator
assessing this out-of-control situation.
Thank you for your consideration”.
Geri Johnson
“My husband is Kevin Johnson. My
letter is not quite as well written as theirs because of the current situation
that my husband is in. At this time I
would like to give you a little bit of a background. Kevin joined the police department in 1987 as
a clerk. In 1988, he became a patrol
officer. In the following years Kevin
has become very involved in the union, being the president for 13 of those
years. During these years he has sat
down with the chief and helped in the modification of the rules and regulations
of the department – many of which are still standing today. He has been involved with many contract
negotiations, arbitrations, and was union representative for the officers when
there was a need. Kevin is very
intelligent, has excellent problem solving skills, job knowledge, and
exceptional people skills – young and old.
These officers over the years have become accustomed to going to Kevin
for guidance and advice concerning issues within. They all know that Kevin is trustworthy,
stands up for what he believes in, and has always stood side by side for his
fellow officers and backed them, including some of the current
administration. You see these men and
women of this department are family to us.
We enjoy having them come over to our home and 97% of these people on
this department have been welcomed in our home.
Over the years, including members, also of the administration. Whether it be new hire, an issue, or a
friendly drop by to talk about hunting or fishing, we will always welcome
them. During these visits, I have
listened to these officers. I can tell
you the issues that we are dealing with today have started a long time ago. They could have all been dealt with when they
occurred, but many of these officers were afraid to come forward because of
fear of retaliation or discipline. Being
the wife of an officer, I feel that the information I (we) hold does not matter
in the eyes of the Chief, City Attorney, or even the City Council. I am here to tell you that the information I
(we) hold as valuable and needs to be known.
I am sick and tired of hearing about the childish antics and whining you
all claim these officers do. These
officers are professional and do their job.
Kevin, alone, has found a missing dog for out of town visitors who were
frantic to find him, consoling families of suicide victims and accident
victims, fire victims, domestic abuse victims, and being able to jump into a
septic system to rescue a victim who was overcome by the fumes while he was
trying to unclog a pipe and then performing CPR, only to later console that
family. Kevin has also been praised by
some of you who now sit on the panel before us.
Some of you have thanked him, not once, twice, but three times, for the
way he has handled situations that have occurred. But you are the first ones to belittle,
degrade, and drag their names through the mud.
Yes, I am a police officer’s wife.
I am a police officer’s wife – I will stand and fight for him to make a
better workplace if that is what is in our future. In closing, I want to read what a former
supervisor of Kevin’s had to say about him.
This was sent into the LaCrosse Tribune to the editor. I am only going to read one paragraph. This is from Bob Muth who was a former
investigator/sergeant: I retired in 2002
from the Onalaska Police Department as I had 30 years credit. I retired not because I was tired of the work
or the love of serving my community, but tired of harassment, intimidation, and
horrible working conditions. Conditions
these officers and their families suffer every day. If we have so many bad officers, isn’t that
the reflection of the administration? I
was the supervisor of many of these officers, including Officer Kevin Johnson,
and found him to be the most outstanding, professional, police officer in my
over 30 years of police work. Kevin has
ethics, morals, and values we, as citizens, want in every police officer. These are the same values that are missing in
the current supervisors. Thank you”.
Kate Meredith
“My husband is a police officer with the Onalaska Police Department. His name is Chris Danou – he is Officer
319. He served this police department
for the last 7 years and for the last four of those years as Police School Liaison
Officer. Up until this year, his record
was clean and spotless. I think you’ve
heard plenty this evening about how we as a group feel about what’s going on at
the department and how deeply it is affecting us at home. I want to ask, again, that you recognize that
we – unlike has been printed in the papers as quotes – this is not
trivial. We are not childish and we are
not vindictive. We have serious concerns
that need to be addressed. We are deeply
concerned about the working conditions that our husbands and wives are
subjected to every day. When my husband
decided to become a police officer, I scratched my head because I thought I’d
married a wildlife biologist. And when I
saw him go through the training and enjoy what he was doing and then got the job
here at Onalaska, to see how satisfying it was for him to do good in the
community – to do good in the schools – that’s what I take pride in. I am proud of the job that he does, and he is
proud of the job that he does. That has
changed and that is why I’m standing up today.
He no longer enjoys going to work.
He dreads the working conditions, and the administration has done its
best to undermine these relationships at the school where he works. I ask you to seriously consider just the
facts – a few facts are all you need to assign an arbitrator or somebody to
look into this. The Chief of Police was
under criminal investigation for 6 weeks – he was aware of that investigation –
and in that time suddenly three of the four officers that filed that complaint,
came under scrutiny from the department.
Three of the four officers had internal investigations started on them,
complete with reading their rights.
Another captain was also written up and his job is currently in jeopardy
and another officer, as you heard tonight, was forced to leave the department
during that time because of the stresses of these working conditions at the
department. That’s six weeks. Had the Chief of Police been on
administrative leave as he does with every other officer that he is seriously
investigating, those would have been at least the six weeks that we would have
needed to step back and have a cooling off period and to look seriously at
what’s going on in this department. I,
as a former teacher, had I sent half of my students down to the principal’s
office, I don’t think it would have been very long before the principal was up
taking a very good look at what was going on in my classroom and who, truly was
at fault. I wonder do we really have a
bad barrel or do we just have one rotten apple.
I’m asking you to come and check it out – see what’s really going
on. I want to see an independent
evaluation made of the administration of this department and I want to see
things change so that our husbands and wives can return to doing the job that
they enjoyed with the respect and honor due to them in this community. Thank you for your time – thank you for
looking at me”.
Kelly Winjum
“I’m the wife of Investigator David Winjum, Officer No. 322. David’s been a police officer in Onalaska for
12 years. When we met I asked him why he
chose Onalaska, and he talked about what a wonderful community it was, the
camaraderie at the department – really it was his dream job. And he’d had other jobs before as a police
officer. This is the one that he really
wanted. No matter how busy, he would
always come home and talk about how great his job was, how fulfilling it was,
how satisfying, how much he enjoyed working with the guys he worked with. I’ve been with him since he was a Patrol Officer
and then as he worked as a Police School Liaison, and now as an Investigator. He used to come home so excited about the
things that he did and the difference that he made in people’s lives. Things are different now. Over the past year, probably longer, he comes
home and he’s tense, he’s frustrated, he’s not sleeping at night. I see him laying there awake next to me and I
ask him, ‘What are you thinking about’?
And he says, ‘Work’ - It’s
always work. He’s having back pain and
he’s on a muscle relaxant, which he did report as he’s supposed to. There was no injury, there was no
precipitating cause. When he went to the
doctor, he was told he was having muscle spasms, and I strongly believe that
these are related to stress; and the major stress going on in his life right
now is his working conditions. He’s lost
20 pounds. For the first time in 12
years, he doesn’t want to go to work.
When it gets to the end of the weekend, he doesn’t want to go to
work. And it’s not the job he does. He loves doing the investigating, he loves
working with the community. It’s the
working conditions that he has to deal with every day. When he comes home from work, I ask him how
his day was – I can’t remember the last time he said something other than, ‘Tense’. He’s not one of the officers that’s been
investigated or disciplined, but I can tell you that his working environment is
having a negative effect on him. We had
to discuss whether or not I should come and speak out because we both fear that
retaliation will happen and that he will start being investigated or
disciplined for something. Some people
have laughed at me and said, ‘That won’t happen – he’s an Investigator’. Well it’s happening to a captain now just for
standing up and speaking. Why should any
employee in
Dale Gerbig
“I am a proud husband of Officer Lisa Gerbig. I am joined here tonight by her father, Scott
Frost, who drove three hours to support his daughter and her co-workers. My wife, Lisa, has been an Onalaska officer
for 6 ˝ years, a job she is very proud of.
As a police officer myself, I know first hand the stress that comes from
this work. I also understand how
important it is to work in a healthy environment with an administration that
supports you. I see day after day the
toll that this stressful working environment is taking on my wife, her
co-workers, and their families. I would
like to site one example of a thorough investigation conducted by Chief
Williams. Lisa recently received a
written reprimand. She was asked no
questions prior to receiving the reprimand.
After Lisa disputed the facts, the Chief then investigated. The Chief had no other choice but to rescind
his reprimand two days later because the Chief knew the information in his
reprimand was not factual. The reprimand
never should have been given. My wife
was targeted for reprimand because she has spoken out in support of fellow
officers. This is just one example of
the pattern of behavior by the Chief and some of his administration. What type of officers would we be on the
street if we made our decisions and then conducted our investigations
afterward. Mr. Mayor, when you called my
home this afternoon, you offered to mediate the situation. However, I feel an outside source would more
objectively provide a solution as you have made it very clear to the media
recently that you fully support Chief Williams.
An outside arbitrator can assess the situation and make recommendations
for positive change at the Onalaska Police Department. We will not settle for anything less. Thank you for your time”.
Donna Hauser
“I am wife of Captain Tim Hauser.
I’m sorry I don’t have anything prepared. I hadn’t really planned to speak, but these
women inspire me. How did we get
here? This is my opinion. Twelve years ago when Police and Fire
Commission had a chance to hire a decent man by the name of Bill
Caruthers. They looked at him, knew his
service to the community, and said we don’t want you. They hired instead what I like to call, the
Pageant Chief – He looks good, he can speak well – no substance. It isn’t going to matter how many training
sessions you send him to, how many seminars you send him to, he is not a
leader. My husband will have been an officer
for 30 years in January with a spotless record.
Randy Williams and Jim Bialecki have made his life hell. You’ve also hired a city attorney that, in my
opinion, is going to cost this city hundreds of thousands of dollars. The first staff meeting that Dawn Harris
attended, I remember my husband coming home – I remember the time of day, I
remember it was sunny, I remember we were in our dining room. And he was livid – he said this woman who
only a short time been hired – I think he said four months, this is my
recollection – said we have bad employees at the City of Onalaska. And my husband said, no we have very good
employees at the City of
Angela Lund
“Wife of Officer Terry Lund, No. 325.
Terry has 13 plus years of service with the City of
Angela Page
“I am the extremely proud wife of Officer Jim Page. He is a field training officer for the
city. He is a drug recognition expert
for the city, and he is an instructor certified by the state. He’s been here for almost 11 years. When Jim was first hired, we thought our
dreams had come true. We were able to support
our family. Jim took pride in his job,
and at that time I believed what I now think is a charade that Randy Williams
put on. With all due respect, I don’t
understand what’s happened. What
happened to Randy Williams? What
happened to some of the sergeants? These
people were decent. We used to have cook
outs, we could talk with each other, and now people are terrified to look at
each other - Terrified. It’s sad. It’s really sad. And the attorney representation is a
joke. Let me make some points in case
you’ve missed them in the news, in case you’ve missed them in the letters and
e-mails that we’ve been sending. The
officers have nowhere to go except through us.
Policies have been approved by the Council. I don’t know – I’m not here to stand here and
say you’re all in on some big political scandal. I think perhaps you haven’t known the facts
or known the motivations behind some of those things. There was a questionnaire sent to the
officers by a member of the Police and Fire Commission. It was our understanding that the information
compiled anonymously from that was then turned over to the mayor and handed to
the chief and nothing has been done since.
Nothing - except for negative repercussions on our spouses. Our Human Resources Representative - and I am
not picking on anyone personally - how that person can be paid by the city to
sit behind the chief and behind the attorney, yet she is the very person these
officers are supposed to go to if they have a sexual harassment complaint, if
they have a need for a medical leave.
How are they supposed to be able to trust anyone? The city attorney, I think her actions speak
louder than words and that’s been addressed by many people here. I have a lot of questions and I don’t know
who has the answers, but I am curious to know that you’re working forward to
those answers. You’ve heard a lot of us
speak – some of us have been more polite – some of us have been not so polite,
and I appreciate your willingness just to listen because you know what, our
emotions are high. The stakes are
extremely high here. So I think you are
going to hear from some of us more than some polite dissatisfaction with the
working conditions, and I do apologize if anyone is offended by that, but I
also think it needs to be out there. My
husband is a decent, decent, man and when he first started, Randy Williams
allowed these officers to volunteer for Special Olympics which is very near and
dear to my heart. We raised a 16-year-old
who weighs 50 pounds and functions at about a 12-month level. He is profoundly, profoundly disabled. He just had his fourth open heart surgery
this year. We need support. We need friends. We need cohesiveness in this department. My husband has intentionally not put in for
sergeant when that opportunity has presented itself because he was terrified
about the man he would become. He was
terrified that he would lose his integrity and his dignity and the honesty that
he believes in. I want to know why more
than half of these officers should be made to feel that they are doing wrong,
that they should be punished, that they should sit home, that they should lose
their jobs when Randy Williams still sits at his desk. Why all those officers with dozens of years
of experience that they have. The
thousands and thousands of dollars invested in them by the city, the training
that we’ve talked about, the years of service - I think it’s really just
sad. I don’t know how else to say it but
you have to do something. We are here
not because we’re embittered, upset with some other spouses. Just this spring Randy Williams stood by the
meat department in Festival Foods and shook my hand, and you told me what a
wonderful husband I had and what a proud man you were of him and the amazing
job he was doing – is that not correct?
Shook my hand. And when we
picketed here a week and a half ago, I saw the chief look through the blinds
and leave the building. I would like to
know what kind of leader leads by fleeing.
I would like to know why there was a press conference in response to
some of our concerns held in a city attorney office in the City of
Barbara Campa
“I am Randy Williams’s mother-in-law.
To listen to this is difficult; however, Randy Williams is the least
vindictive person I have ever known.
This has become somewhat of a soap opera. It would seem to me that had these women been
in – I have been to all of the hearings.
I heard both of these girls testify who had the cameras beneath their
desks. Both of them did not want to
press charges. They felt it was a
joke. I can understand a feminist’s
viewpoint in that they felt this probably should not have happened. And it should not have happened. However, I think the attitude here tonight is
much the inmates wanting to run the institution”.
(Outburst from the audience)
Mayor Bialecki stated, “Just a minute.
Barbara, if you want to continue on now.
People have things to say – not everyone is going to agree with
that. I got a few hits on the head
tonight here. I’m going to sit here and
take it, but I’m going to listen. I
would hope we give everyone respect and let them speak. Continue”.
Barbara continued, “And at any rate, this has been difficult I’m certain
for everyone involved – the officers, for Randy, for you, for all of you – for
the Police and Fire Commission - for everyone.
But I kind of think Randy would be remiss in his duty if he did not
stand up and do what he thought was right.
I had no intention when I came here this evening – I have never stood
before a microphone before in my life.
But I do feel that I have some input.
I am married to a man that was a police officer for 29 years – retired
from the Madison Police Department as a detective supervisor. I saw many, many, many things go awry in the Police
Department and also the Madison Fire Department and they were union involved incidents. There were things that often-times split the department
right down the middle. But the bottom
line is, if you have a man as chief, he is the leader. And whether they want to say that they don’t
like the manner in which he leads, I’m here to tell you, I don’t know about
that aspect of it – but for them to say Randy is out to get them, I can tell
you right now is blatantly wrong. That
is not Randy’s style. Randy loves
Onalaska – he’s been very involved in his community. He started this Polar Plunge, and yes, I am
his advocate. But I’m telling you Randy
Williams is a nice, honorable, and honest man and whether they like hearing
this or not, I’m sorry. But it’s very
hard to listen to this back stabbing, etc., etc., etc. and not stand up and
have my point of view heard also even though I don’t live here in
Onalaska. Thank you for listening”.
Ron Espe
“I feel at a little disadvantage tonight.
Obviously I’m not as young or as pretty as the team that you have heard
from for the last hour and so I’ll just have to try to make do with that. Also, I have not had a secretary for 10 years
now and so I didn’t have anybody to type up my comments to distribute
them. So, I’ll try to talk as clearly as
I can and hopefully nobody will get lost in the process. My name is Ron Espe. I’m a property owner and a citizen, a
resident, and a voter in the City of
Ald. Oldani Wulf stated, “I’d just like to add that prior to Alderperson
Kim Smith and I coming to council, she and I and also Mr. Espe along with about
20 plus other people spent 2 ˝ years on the swimming pool advisory too. So I just want to thank Mr. Espe for his time
and commitment and many, many hours in meetings for those two and a half years”.
Megan McClusky
“I’m Dan McClusky’s wife. I live
in
Bob Muth
“2002 I retired from the Onalaska Police Department because I had 30
years credit. I could retire at age
53. I did not want to retire. I loved my job and I loved this
community. I retired because I couldn’t
take it any longer and that’s why I left.
One thing you have to remember. I
didn’t prepare a speech – I just came to see what’s going on. These wives are talking because when you become
a police officer, there’s a policy that you cannot speak out about the department,
so you lose your first amendment rights when you become a police officer. They can’t be up here talking, so their wives
have to do it for them. I’ve been
watching the stuff that’s been going on in the papers and I am utterly and
totally ashamed of this community for allowing this activity to go on and I’m
begging you to do something about it – stop this. I’m a taxpayer here too and I’m paying –
we’re going to be paying huge amounts of money that could have been used for a
lot more benefits to this community – it’s out of control. These officers can’t go to the newspapers and
be quoted. The Mayor can say something
and it’s quoted – the chief can say something and it’s quoted along with their
pictures in the paper. These officers do
not have that privilege. The only power
they have is their wives trying to stand up and try to shout what’s going on
here and I’m begging you please listen.
Thank you”.
Bob Millis
“Listening to all of the situations that has gone on, it becomes a very
evident situation here that we have not only a problem internally with the
interpretation of the police department but the interpretation of the policies
that the police department enforces. I
believe that obviously we have a great, great police department, and I would
hate to see it disintegrate to any extent of what they are indicating it has
already. The people that belong to the
police force obviously put their lives at risk.
Fortunately, Onalaska we feel that we have a very safe community. But the police department obviously helps
make that happen. Now these ladies, they
are speaking on behalf of their husbands which is great – they bring out the
different things and the issues of health, safety, effectiveness, possible
injury to their husbands, and I appreciate that. Like Bob Muth just said, he says one of the
policies is that the police officers cannot speak for theirselves. That everything has to come through either
the Mayor or the Chief of Police. Maybe
that needs to be changed. I don’t know
who sets these policies. Is it the Council,
or is it the Fire and Police Commission?
Somebody asked the question earlier, who does the police chief report
to? Does he report to the Fire and Police
Commission or does he report directly to the mayor? A lot of the situations here and I’ve been
writing down a few notes, and I appreciate the fact that the officers’ wives
are standing behind them, however, I myself, feel I have to stand behind the
chief of police. He is the ultimate
person who interprets the policies and runs the department. Now these people signed on way back when, I
don’t know. But when they signed on,
they appeared to be and join what they were going to get involved in - they
knew what they were going to get involved in.
The question is, what has changed?
Has the policies changed? Has the
interpretation of the policies changed, or have the people changed? Who runs the department? There’s only one person in my opinion and
that is the Chief of Police which today is Randy Williams, and I do support
him. Thank you”.
Chief Williams said, “I’ve sat through this hearing tonight, and I think
it’s invaluable to sit through that. I
believe that all opinions are valued and are important, and it reminds me when
I first came here 12 years ago. There
were complaints from numerous parents concerning some of the behavior of
officers and some of the policies and the way that young adults and young
children were treated in this community.
And I met with them and I met with them in a meeting room and there were
dozens of parents. And I will tell you I
took a beating back then, but I did it because it’s important to hear the
voices of all concerned. And so I value
what’s being said here on both sides of this.
But I’m going to share with you something that’s important and I think
is being lost in all of this. Discipline
and discipline-related issues are difficult.
They are difficult for all of us.
They’re difficult, they’re unpleasant, and they’re uncomfortable. They’re no fun to be involved in. And I want to share with you the fact that
over the course of the years, I have given recognition to police officers – to
some of these officers that were mentioned tonight and to officers who have
been disciplined by me, including the officer that was injured on duty. I put him in and I wrote him up for a
commendation because he took an injury as a result of his work. And I’m more than happy to share that with
you. But I don’t want to get into all
the details. What I would like to share
is this. I would love to have a positive
relationship with the union. In fact,
I’ve offered many opportunities over the course of the year, those opportunities
to meet and engage and discuss. But,
however, I will not do that and have that type of relationship at the expense
of my other duties and responsibilities as they relate to discipline within
this department. I don’t have a choice –
I have a duty and I have a responsibility to investigate citizen complaints, to
look into misconduct and misbehavior.
And I will not be bullied or intimidated from doing my job – that’s my
responsibility and I believe it’s the expectations of the citizens that I serve
here in Onalaska. I will hold officers
accountable, and I will also recognize them for good work done. And as you heard from a wife tonight that I
shook her hand and commended her husband in a grocery market because that’s
what I do. I do give recognition when
it’s appropriate, but I also will address the negative aspects of my job. Doing my job as chief sometimes requires me
to make difficult decisions. Decisions
that are unpopular at times, but I believe are for the public good. I will not be swayed from doing my job. I’ve heard numerous comments tonight about
bringing in a mediator to talk and discuss these things, and I am open to
that. I am not afraid to do that because
I think it’s important. And I think what
will come out is not just half the story or half the truth or half the
information – I think what’s going to come out is the truth – and I’m all for
that and I support that. And I’m willing
to follow the direction of the mayor and the City Council in what they decide
to do. But I just let you know that I
proudly serve this community, I proudly serve the citizens and the taxpayers of
this community, and I am honored and proud to be able to do that”.
Mayor Bialecki asked if there was anyone else wishing to address the
council.
Mayor Bialecki requested members of the audience to remain to obtain a
possible outcome to the issues addressed at tonight’s meeting.
Mayor Bialecki said, “At one point I had thought possibly about maybe discussing some of these issues in Closed Session with the Council as a whole. Now the question is to do something about it, yes you will do it, you will evaluate it, but there’s a process in place for me, too. I don’t have the authority to go here and do as I darn well please or anything like that. I do not have the authority to run amok and fire people, hire people, and on and on and on and do as I darn well please. I have to account to this board, too. Nonetheless, in seeing a lot going on in the last couple of weeks, hearing people here tonight, both sides of the fence – different opinions too, as well as input from the streets.