A resolution passed by the Kenosha County Board has not been vetoed by the County Executive since 2009, when former County Executive Jim Kreuser vetoed a very controversial decrease in the percentage County Board Supervisors had to pay for their health insurance. 

On Wednesday, July 26th, County Executive Kerkman vetoed the “Green New Deal” and commented: 

“Pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 59.17 (6), I am submitting my objection and have vetoed Resolution 31 because I believe this measure creates more challenges than solutions.

To be clear, I am a supporter of solar energy. In fact, I grew up in a passive solar house that my parents built in western Kenosha County, long before the notion of going solar was popular.

What I would not like to see – and what I fear Resolution 31 would create – is a patchwork effect that would pit Kenosha County against our neighbors and add a barrier to entry for businesses considering relocating or expanding here. I believe it would be best to work with the Legislature on other solar initiatives that would create sustainability and uniformity statewide, rather than on a county-by-county basis.

I would like to see efforts that encourage solar energy use also recognize the real costs and environmental concerns that come with the need to recycle or properly dispose of solar components when they reach their end of use.”

Here’s a little back story on Kenosha County’s “Green New Deal”:

KCE has reported on https://kenoshacountyeye.com/2023/05/30/kenosha-county-board-chairman-accused-of-acting-like-dictator-bullying-other-members/

Kenosha County’s “Green New Deal” being pushed by Supervisor Brian Bashaw (RINO), Chairman Gabe Nudo (RINO), and the liberals on the county board. There have been some underhanded tactics to try to pass the “Green New Deal”. On March 21, 2023, the “Green New Deal” was on the agenda to be referred to the Executive and Legislative Committees of the county board. Bashaw made a motion to suspend the rules so the “Green New Deal” could be voted on immediately — without going to committee for discussion and debate. Suspending the rules is done very rarely, and usually only for items that are very time sensitive and need to be passed immediately. This was a sneaky trick planned ahead of time by Bashaw and Nudo. A source told KCE that Nudo and Bashaw were telling supervisors to vote to suspend the rules because this resolution was “advisory only”, which was untrue. 

Thankfully, this vote needed a 2/3 vote to pass, and it failed 13-10. Supervisors voting to ram the “Green New Deal” through without going to committee were: 

Bashaw

Berg

Geertsen

Grady

Karow

Kubicki

Nordiigan

Nudo

Rose

Stock

Stocker

Wamboldt

Yuhas

Those voting against shoving the “Green New Deal” down taxpayers’ throats were:

Belsky

Decker

Franco

Gashke

Gentz

Nedweski

O’Day

Poole

Rodriguez

Thomas

Bashaw and Nudo were very upset this trick did not work.

Fast forward to the Executive Committee Meeting where the “Green New Deal” did not pass, the vote was: Yes – Nudo, Rose, Karow. No – Decker, Rodriguez, Nordigian, Thomas

After some major changes proposed by Supervisor Wamboldt (at the direction of Bashaw and Nudo out of desperation to get it passed) the “Green New Deal” passed the Legislative Committee. The vote was: Yes – Wamboldt, Yuhas, Gashke, Berg. No – Nedweski, Poole, Thomas. 

Bashaw made some interesting comments at the Legislative Committee. When asked if he believed if people should have the right to sell their land to whomever they want, his answer was “no”. He also stated that the State of Wisconsin has “rights”. (People have rights given to them by God, government doesn’t have rights.) Bashaw also said this “Green New Deal” is “just the beginning” and he wants to come back with another resolution regarding solar energy and TIFs.

The “Green New Deal” was going to the county board floor with at least six “no” votes. 

Bashaw has a habit of going after those who are against him, once by writing an OpEd in the local newspaper bashing those not supporting his, Franco’s and Nudo’s resolution caving to leftist activists regarding committee meeting times. (This meeting time resolution is the reason why Nudo removed Rodriguez and Nedweski from their committee chairmanships – because they refused to kiss the ring of Nudo and vote the way he demanded.)

In what seems to be the common tactic of Bashaw, in his speech on the county board floor he attacked those that did not support his resolution. He accused unnamed individuals of “arm twisting, coercion, twisting of truths, and, at times, absolute fabrications of truth” he also implied that those against his resolution don’t have a “core character trait called integrity” or don’t “make a decision that is based in truth, based in reason, that’s fundamentally based in integrity”. He continued to attack those against the “Green New Deal”.

Do you know what projection is? It is when someone accuses you of doing what they are doing. It seems that Bashaw and supporters of the “Green New Deal” are projecting. Bashaw complained about coercion on the “Green New Deal” vote. KCE has heard from several sources that there was illegal activity trying to get the votes to support the “Green New Deal”. Sources say there was a violation of Wisconsin’s Open Meetings law by Chairman Nudo, Supervisor Bashaw, and Supervisor Berg creating a “walking quorum” to “whip the votes” to get the “Green New Deal” to pass.

The “Green New Deal” passed by a vote of 11-10 with Supervisors Franco and Stock absent. We know that leftist Franco would have supported it, and Stock would have voted for the resolution his father-in-law supported, as Stock votes the way Bashaw tells him to vote.

The voting in support of the “Green New Deal” were:

Bashaw (RINO)

Nudo (RINO)

Wamboldt (RINO)

O’Day (D)

Yuhas (D)

Berg (D)

Gentz (D)

Rose (D)

Gashke (D)

Kubicki (D)

Grady (D)

Voting against the “Green New Deal” were:

Beslkey (D)

Decker

Geertsen

Karow

Nedweski

Nordigian

Poole

Rodriguez

Stocker

Thomas

Tuesday’s County Board meeting will take place at the Kenosha County Administration Building, 1010 56th Street, 3rd floor at 7:30pm.

To override a veto, a 2/3 Vote of the entire Board is required. A veto override will require 16 “yes” votes. It will be interesting to see if the RINOs and the Democrat supervisors representing Republican majority county board districts will vote to sustain Republican Kenosha County Executive Kerkman’s veto, or to side with the liberals.