Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler responded to Republican county officials’ support of an effort to increase oversight of his administrative authority, saying the officials are “meddling in county board politics.”
“It was unfortunate that other Republican officeholders weighed in and continue to interfere in county board business,” Prenzler stated. “I’m in the oversight business. That’s how I got here.”
Circuit Clerk Tom McRae, County Auditor David Michael, State’s Attorney Tom Haine, County Treasurer Chris Slusser and Regional Superintendent of Schools Rob Werden issued a joint statement Tuesday in support of a proposed ordinance to amend policies.
“As independent elected officials, we need the county administration to work smoothly and efficiently so we can do our jobs well,” they wrote. “Every Republican county-wide elected official agrees that Chairman Prenzler’s inept management and bad judgment is wasting taxpayer resources and harming our abilities to serve the citizens of Madison County.”
A bi-partisan group of board members filed the petition for a special board meeting to consider an ordinance to amend “personnel policies for County Board appointed officials and department heads and certain Madison County ordinances.”
In response, Prenzler called the petition “payback” for endorsing Republican county board candidates who ran against incumbent board members.
Prenzler argues that the “defining issue in all of these races was PTELL (Property Tax Extension Limitation Law),” which caps property tax rates for most taxing districts at the rate of inflation. It must be enacted by a referendum and can only be put on the ballot by the county board.
“If PTELL could be put on the ballot by petition, I guarantee you I could lead an effort to get 30,000 signatures,” Prenzler stated. “But the law says only the county board can authorize a public vote.”
Prenzler sought to put PTELL on the ballot in 2018 and 2020, but it was rejected both times. Most recently, the board voted to postpone PTELL in August 2020, saying they did not have adequate time to research the issue and make an educated decision.
“The Republicans who denied taxpayers the opportunity to vote on this tax referendum were challenged in the primary,” Prenzler stated in the press release. “My endorsements were not personal, but policy: pro-taxpayer policy.”
“Even at the risk of ruffling feathers, we must do everything we can do to help the taxpayer,” Prenzler added.
The officials who support the petition for oversight stated that their endorsement is not in response to PTELL. They wrote that the changes are necessary “due to a recent lawsuit costing $1.3 million to taxpayers and many other personnel problems.”
Prenzler wrote that the lawsuit referenced by the Republican officials stemmed from a former employee’s sexual harassment claims against a former Republican county board member.
The press release does not provide specifics, but former Chief Deputy Administrator for Community Development Kristen Poshard previously sued the county, claiming she was wrongfully terminated for resisting sexual advances by former county board member Phil Chapman.
“She trusted me and made her allegations to me on Wednesday afternoon, June 7, 2017,” Prenzler stated. “Two days later I asked the county board member to resign. But he refused - saying he was an elected official.”
Prenzler added that he worked hard to defeat the board member in the next primary election.
The press release also states that Prenzler began his political career as a reformer, and he continues that pursuit.
“In 2006, I was the only Republican willing to take on the Democratic machine, except for judicial candidates,” he stated.
“I blew the whistle on treasurer Fred Bathon, who went to federal prison. I lost that first election, but then won in 2010, which allowed me to reduce the cost of the treasurer’s office by 30 percent in 30 days. I reformed an investment scheme in [the] treasurer’s office. In 2011, 2017 and 2018, I led the fight to defeat a proposed county-wide 1 percent sales tax. In 2016, I led an effort to collect 10,000 signatures to put a tax cut referendum on the ballot, which passed 4 to 1,” he continued.