Makeup Of Jansen Village Board Remains In Question

By Gordon HopkinsThe final makeup of the 2023 Jansen Village Board remains an open question, as one seat remains unfilled and a temporary chair elected.Vacant SeatA recent change to the board is the election of Matthew Leatherwood. He replaces outgoing board member Tiffany Schoenrock, who opted not to run for re-election.However, that still leaves one open seat. Board member Tom Goggerty resigned his position on the board effective September 1, 2022. The announcement was made at the meeting of the board on Tuesday, September 13. Goggerty did not attend the meeting but chairperson Kesha Eldridge read a letter from him, in which he cited “health reasons.” The remaining board members voted to accept Gogerty’s resignation, “With regrets.”There was no discussion about Goggerty’s replacement at that time. When asked when a replacement would be chosen at a meeting on November 10, Eldridge responded, “After the new board members are sworn in.”According to Nebraska Revised Statute 32-569, “Notice of a vacancy, except a vacancy resulting from the death of the incumbent, shall be in writing and presented to the council or board of trustees at a regular or special meeting and shall appear as a part of the minutes of such meeting. The council or board of trustees shall at once give public notice of the vacancy by causing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the city or village or by posting in three public places in the city or village the office vacated and the length of the unexpired term.”A notice of the vacancy was not posted until Friday, December 9.FJN reached out to village attorney Gregory Kratz and asked why the notice wasn’t posted sooner. He responded via email, “Tom Goggerty’s resignation was accepted by the board during the September meeting. At that time, a Notice of Vacancy was prepared to be posted by the clerk but it does not appear that the clerk never (sic) posted it. Because the vacancy was so close to the election, the chairperson, Kesha Eldridge, chose not to appoint someone right away and to wait until after the election to see if there were any write-in candidates elected to fill the vacant spot. There was not and so there remained a vacancy after the election.”Regina Russell, the recently terminated village clerk and treasurer, disputed Kratz’s explanation. At a meeting of the village board on Wednesday, December 14, Russell said, “It didn’t get posted because I was told not to post it yet. And I was never told to post it. I can only post what I was told to post.”ChairpersonOn the agenda for the December 14 was electing a new chairperson. Leatherwood said, “I’d like to make a motion that we table that until the January meeting after we’ve seated a full board.”However, Kratz said, “Ordinances do state that it needs to be done in December following general election.”That did not sit well with some members of the public attending the meeting. Greg Ackman said, “That’s wrong. You need to wait.”Others at the meeting also indicated their preference to wait.“The ordinance does say that the Village Board Chairman shall be selected first regular meeting of the board in December, following the general election of members from their own membership,” Kratz reiterated. He then added, “Obviously, I recognize the sentiment of wanting the full board here.”Kratz therefore recommended electing a “pro tempore,” or temporary, chair, “That chairman pro tempore could appoint a replacement (board member) in January.”Leatherwood then nominated Kesha Eldridge, who currently serves as chair. The rest of the board agreed and voted as such.The next Jansen Village Board meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 7, 2023, at 7 p.m.

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