By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – Green Bay City Clerk Kris Teske was appointed Tuesday, Dec. 15, by the village board to be Ashwaubenon’s next clerk.
Teske, who has been Green Bay’s clerk since 2012, was one of two finalists for Ashwaubenon’s position along with Wrightstown Village Clerk Michelle Seidl.
Her resignation as Green Bay city clerk is effective Dec. 31.
Ashwaubenon Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said the village went through a lengthy process to seek applicants for clerk and received “over a couple hundred applicants,” prior to them being narrowed down with the board interviewing the two finalists.
“We feel that Kris (Teske) – obviously with her experience working with the City of Green Bay, certainly a much larger organization and certainly a complex operation there – would certainly fit in very well here in Ashwaubenon and continue to take what Patrick (Moynihan Jr.) has done in the clerk’s office and continue to move that forward,” Gregozeski said.
Moynihan, who was re-elected last year to a new three-year term as village clerk-treasurer, is resigning from the position effective Jan. 4 to become the new Brown County Clerk, a four-year term he was elected to last month.
In his resignation letter, Moynihan said he “never imagined leaving the clerk-treasurer position under any circumstances, but I leave knowing that I shall remain vigilant serving Ashwaubenon and all of Brown County in my new role as the new duly elected Brown County clerk.”
“I leave the office of the clerk-treasurer in capable hands with committed people who serve with great distinction,” he said.
The village board sought to appoint a new clerk to work with Moynihan prior to him leaving for the county position.
Trustee Steve Kubacki praised Moynihan for serving as village clerk-treasurer.
“He’s served the community with honor and distinction,” Kubacki said. “He’s about as steady as you can get. I’ve watched him work at the county level, and (he) did a great job there (as county board chairman) commanding the board meetings there and that type of thing.”
In anticipation of Moynihan’s resignation, the village board this year changed Ashwaubenon’s charter ordinance to no longer have an elected clerk-treasurer and to appoint the clerk and treasurer positions separately.
Finance Director Greg Wenholz, who has been the village’s deputy treasurer, will be designated as treasurer upon Moynihan’s departure.
Village voters overwhelmingly approved an advisory referendum in April stating, “Should the Village of Ashwaubenon charter ordinance be amended to provide for an appointed (instead of an elected) clerk-treasurer in order to allow the treasurer duties to be absorbed by current staff and ensure the most qualified candidate for the clerk position due to the training and expertise necessary to run elections and other essential administrative functions?”