Vernon questions Soneberg's deputy position
Town Supervisor calls situation a conflict of interest
Bad blood seems to be flowing freely between the Town of Vernon and the Village of Big Bend, as yet another knife has been dug into an already open wound. The Town of Vernon Board is now questioning whether Village of Big Bend President and Sheriff's Deputy Jamie Soneberg can effectively patrol in the Town of Vernon.
"I have been approached by several people in the last few months with concerns that the town is patrolled by the village president," said Town Supervisor Bill Craig. "It doesn't look good. It's a conflict of interest, in particular with all the animosity built up over the Fire Department issue." Craig said people are concerned that things could be done by Soneberg that shouldn't be done, although he could not state any particular incident in which someone had been led to believe that Soneberg could not perform his duties in the town.
"I have made it clear there have been no accusations made against anyone. It's just another area where I don't think we should be appearing to have a conflict," he said.
Although both Craig and Town Chairman Fred Michalek stated they had received several complaints from residents regarding a possible conflict of interest, neither could state any specific incident, and Supervisor Kurt Barikmo stated that the issue came up twice in the public comments portion of board meetings in the past two years.
Town Board members heard from Capt. Frank McElderry at their Feb. 4 meeting, who said that although the Sheriff's Department takes complaints seriously, it had not received any specific complaints. McElderry also spoke very highly of Soneberg's job performance.
"Deputy Soneberg is one of our outstanding deputies," he said. "He's a stellar performer."
When asked whether Soneberg could be reassigned, McElderry stated that he would prefer to have good reason before doing so.
"We do stand by our deputies, so unless there is a particular person I can talk to with a specific problem … " McElderry stated.
McElderry asked the board to write a letter to the sheriff outlining its specific concerns.
"We're dealing with a person's livelihood," said Michalek. "We need to get something specific because he's (Soneberg) gainfully employed."
Soneberg said he has sought legal counsel because of the town's actions.
"I feel that Supervisor Craig has stepped over the line and has made his comments toward me of a personal nature," Soneberg said. "There is no conflict of interest; this is a nonissue. This is a personal attack at my integrity and my professionalism is now being questioned."
Michalek told board members that they needed to be cautious moving forward because "this could be a mark on his (Soneberg's) record that could jeopardize his career."
McElderry, however, stated that this would not be a mark against Soneberg.
"The Sheriff's Department wants to treat everyone fairly," he said. "We need to look at the whole picture before we make a move to be sure we're making the right decision."
Soneberg, who patrols the Town of Vernon, I-43, backs up the Town of Eagle and the Town of Waukesha, said he takes his responsibilities seriously.
"I would put myself in harm's way for each and every one of those board members just as I would for everyone else in Waukesha County," he said.
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