Power Struggle On Jansen Village Board

By FJN StaffFJN has obtained a letter written by Jansen Village Board member Matthew Leatherwood which exposes a significant rift on the board. The letter is undated but was sent in late February and was addressed to then-village board chair Kesha Eldridge.Leatherwood wrote, “It has become clear to me that, under present circumstances, moving forward as a cohesive board isn’t possible. I do not speak on behalf of all board members, but speak only for myself, knowing I have the support of at least one.”Leatherwood identified several issues that he demanded be addressed:“All village board members will have access to village hall (we all need keys) and will be granted access to all computers, phones, the safe, etc.”Although he was elected in 2022, Leatherwood said he has never received a key to the Jansen Village Hall. According to his letter, “In addition, you have taken numerous items home that belong to the Village of Jansen, and have changed the locks at village hall, making it impossible for other board members to enter or help with items that need addressed.”Eldridge relinquished her seat as chair at a special meeting of the board Monday evening, March 6, 2023. While she is no longer the chair, Eldridge remains on the board. Joyce Ambrose was elected as the new chair at the same meeting.On March 17 of this year, FJN spoke to village attorney Gregory Kratz by phone and asked about the key situation. Kratz said, “She (Ambrose) told me they did have all the keys made.”As of press time, Leatherwood said he still does not have a key.“Village items such as computers, files, etc. need returned to the village offices in their entirety.”According to Leatherwood, he has been requesting access to village files for several months.Former clerk and treasurer Regina Russell was relieved of her duties at the end of 2022. No reason was publicly given for Russell’s termination. Village attorney Gregory Kratz told FJN, “I will not discuss the reasons why she was relieved of her position.”Russell provided FJN with a draft of a letter she wrote to Eldridge, although the letter was never sent. It does reference the removal of files, “And on my last day at work, you began cleaning out your desk and took multiple files from your desk home with you.”Russell also gave FJN photographs of what she says were the files Eldridge removed from the village hall.In the phone call with Kratz, he said he knew nothing about any missing files.On March 20, 2023, Leatherwood said he gained access to the village hall for a brief period of time while a maintenance person was cleaning. He said he did not have time to look for any files but he noticed the village computers were missing.FJN asked both Kratz and Ambrose who has possession of the computers or if they have been returned to the village hall. Thus far, no response has been received.“All board members will be kept in the loop regarding project status.”Despite the change in leadership, Leatherwood says he has seen no improvement in communication, although he points out he does not know about the other board members.Leatherwood warned in his letter, “We are not able to govern as a unit and our village is crumbling. If we can’t do it, I’ll ask the state to intervene on behalf of the citizens of Jansen.”This echoes a statement made by former board member Tiffany Schoenrock on her last day, “I just want to remind you, if we as a board can’t get along, what would happen if the state comes in and takes over and there is no longer a board? You need to think about that.”FJN emailed Ambrose multiple times to ask about the complaints made in Leatherwood’s letter. To date, she has not responded.

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