As Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board enters its last election cycle, some local clerks are hoping that at least some of the agency’s functions remain in place. Republican legislators led the effort to eliminate the board, replacing it with two new agencies: an elections commission and an ethics commission. The GAB will dissolve on July 1, the two new agencies taking over the board’s duties. While the legislative focus of the change was on campaign finance laws, some local clerks are worried about whether the training, election support and legal advice for clerks now handled by the GAB will remain in place.
“The GAB has a great working relationship with all the clerks. They provide a wealth of information and support,” said Jane Romanowski, Pleasant Prairie’s clerk. “I would hope that nothing will change when it comes to that side.” Romanowski said the GAB has been “outstanding,” especially for small offices like hers.
Kenosha County Clerk Mary Schuch-Krebs said she and many clerks around the state had hoped that the transition would come after the presidential elections. But she said she is hopeful that most of the GAB staff will remain in place. “Right now I can shoot off an email or make a phone call (to GAB staff) and get an answer immediately,” Schuch-Krebs said.
Full Article: Kenosha News.