Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
For the second time in two months, the Clintonville Common Council has told the city administrator to go home.
The council voted 7-3 Tuesday to indefinitely place Lisa Kotter on administrative leave, with pay.
Voting in favor were Jeannie Schley, Mary Beth Kuester, Greg Rose, John Wilson, Jim Krause, Gloria Dunlavy and Jerry Jorgenson. Voting no were Bill Zeinert, Phil Rath and Mark Doornink.
Kotter was initially suspended by the council on May 13 pending an investigation into alleged misconduct.
On Tuesday, Kotter asked the council to adjourn into closed session to discuss the allegations against her. The council voted instead to approve the agenda with the request deleted.
“It has been two months and you have never spoken to me,” Kotter said. “The five things that I have been accused of can’t be discussed. You don’t care what I have to say.”
Doornink said he thought it was ridiculous that the council would not discuss the issues with Kotter.
“I only want to tell you my side,” Kotter said. “You are not treating employees fairly.”
Mayor Judith Magee, who vetoed a council vote in May to extend Kotter’s suspension, said she was concerned about resolving the conflict.
“It is time to help the city move forward,” said Magee, who could not be reached by the Leader to determine if she was considering vetoing Tuesday’s vote.
Attorney Warren Kraft was hired to investigate the allegations against Kotter following the May 13 suspension and later made a presentation to the council in closed session, but the allegations have not been discussed publicly.
The council voted 6-4 on May 27 to extend Kotter’s suspension and refer allegations of misconduct to the city’s labor attorney. Magee vetoed that vote on June 2, and Kotter returned to work.
On June 10, the council, with a 6-4 vote, failed to override Magee’s veto, falling one vote short of the required supermajority.
Jorgenson, who voted against the suspension extension and the veto override, on Tuesday voted in favor of placing Kotter on leave.
Many city residents spoke in support of Kotter and Magee at the June meeting, which had to be moved from City Hall to the Community Center because of the overflow crowd.
At the citizens forum prior to Tuesday’s council meeting, residents again chastised council members for the feud.
Charlotte Olmsted, manager of Econo Foods in Clintonville, said some council members were not listening to their constituents.
“Don’t continue the witch hunt, and appreciate what (Kotter) has done for the community,” she said. “Make this a city our children can be proud of.”