June 11, 2025
COON VALLEY, Wis – The Coon Valley Village Board will leave a seat on their board vacant until April of next year because the board was unable to come to an agreement on which of three potential nominees should have the job at their regular meeting Tuesday night. The board normally has seven members but there is an empty seat due to Matt Helgerson’s win as Board President, which left his seat on the board open.
There were three potential nominees to fill the seat but the board could not agree on who should have the job and decided to leave the seat empty after a 3-3 tie vote to fill the seat with former board president Karl Henrichsen. But the vote and discussion about the process unfolded haphazardly when members of the public began asking questions about possible nominees and the process.
Board President Helgerson initially spoke in favor of appointing Brandon Seeley to the seat citing his specific skill set and knowledge that would be useful in managing an upcoming road project on Central Ave-State Highway 14 with the DOT. Helgerson did not get any feedback from the board about his suggestion, and Board Member Ray Williamson then nominated former president Henrichsen to fill the seat. Williamson cited Henrichsen’s knowledge of the same road project because of his involvement with the project in his role as the previous board president.
That set off a reaction, and a series of questions from members of the public in attendance who asked what the process was for choosing nominees and how they had been chosen. Village Clerk Renita Williamson, and several board members, said they had met in an informal “meet and greet” on June 5. That meeting was posted at several designated locations in the village, but does not appear to be posted on the village website. The board said the three candidates who expressed interest in the seat al attended that meeting including Henrichsen, Seeley and another former board member Mary Wruck.
Williamson reiterated that he felt Henrichsen would be the best person for the seat because of his knowledge of the road work coming in the near future, but also agreed Seeley would be qualified.
“Sure, he’s a good guy (Seeley), said Williamson. “He’s great. He is smart. He would be a great asset for the board. I won’t deny that one bit. But right now, Karl is the best candidate for what we need done. It’s nothing to do with Brandon. He would be great.”
Board Member Amy Stakston-Wiedemann said all the people interested in serving have skill sets that would be assets.
“I feel like we would not go wrong with putting any of them on the board, because they all have good skill sets,” said Stakston-Wiedemann.
When the board was done discussing the nominees they took a vote on the Henrichsen nomination. Ray Williamson, Gary Keuser and Russ Cornford voted for Henrichsen, and Amy Stakston-Wiedemann, Gary Grethel and Matt Helgerson voted against it.
The tie vote caused Helgerson to refer to the League of Wisconsin Municipalities handbook for guidance, but the passages regarding tie votes in these situations was not clear. Helgerson raised the possibility of a special election to fill the seat but the board agreed to leave the seat vacant until the next regular election in April of 2026.
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