I have appointed an ad hoc committee to provide advice to the City regarding COVID-19. The members include representatives of a variety of Mequon organizations. They can tell the City what they are doing, and the City can provide the same information to them.
I am trying to use as many tools, and gather as many opinions, as I can. It is a committee with diverse perspectives, both politically and professionally.
The committee will not be setting local policy. That is up to the mayor and the Common Council as a whole. Instead, they will exchange information and, with staff and the public, provide advice.
Obviously, most policies will be set at the federal and state levels. However, the city is left to implement some of those policies and to ensure that the City continues to provide essential services while complying with federal and state policies.
There will be no criticism of either the President or the Governor at the meetings. That is not the point of the body. Instead, we want to ensure that we do the best job we can in implementing the policies that exist. To do that, we know to know what others are doing. The inclusion of any member is not an endorsement of that member. It is a recognition that he or she is a member of a body that makes a difference.
The committee includes the following:
Ascension Hospital | Dr. Jason Staszko |
Chamber of Commerce | Jessica Liebau |
Common Council | Dr. Kathleen Schneider |
Concordia University of Wisconsin | Dr. Patrick Ferry and Gretchen Jameson |
Mequon-Thiensville School District | Dr. Matt Joynt |
Other Medical | Dr. David Tick |
Ozaukee County | Supervisor Dave Henrichs |
State of Wisconsin | Sen. Alberta Darling, Rep. Jim Ott and Rep. Dan Knodl |
I will chair the committee. The City Administrator, Assistant City Administrator, Police Chief, Fire Chief and City Attorney (as well as other staff on an as-needed basis) will assist the committee.
I continue to seek advice from as many members of the public as possible. Please send your comments to me at mayor@ci.mequon.wi.us and/or to the City Administrator Will Jones at wjones@ci.mequon.wi.us.
Meetings of the committee are available to the public; however, all such meetings will be conducted electronically; therefore, the discussion on the call needs to be limited to the members and staff. Public comments should be submitted at least one hour prior to the meeting. When they are scheduled, meeting times and dates will be posted on the city website and can be seen by clicking here.