The Kewaunee Common Council will have its own lawyer to review city business after passing a resolution during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The committee, which is made up of eight alderpersons and the mayor, voted 6-2 to hire Michael P. May of Boardman & Clark of Madison, Wis. as its own outside special counsel in addition to the city’s attorney Randy Nesbitt. According to the resolution and accompanying emails in Monday’s agenda packet, some members of the council have grown frustrated with not being able to ask Nesbitt questions without prior permission from Kewaunee Mayor Jason Jelinek and City Administrator Fred Schnook. Jelinek told DoorCountyDailyNews.com in advance of Monday’s meeting that hiring a second attorney in addition to the one already on retainer is a waste of taxpayer money.

The rate for May’s services cannot exceed $300 an hour or $10,000 total. Alderpersons John Blaha and Wendy Shelton are the named officers in the resolution that will be in contact with May to obtain any legal opinions needed by the council. We will have Blaha’s point of view on Wednesday.