(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
SALEM LAKES, Wis. — Salem Lakes Trustee Angela Brooks (D) is facing criticism from residents after attending approximately half of the village meetings reviewed by Kenosha County Eye in 2026 while receiving her full $9,000 annual stipend. Residents who spoke with KCE acknowledged that the stipend is modest, but said Brooks should donate half or return it to the village because she has missed about half the meetings.
After receiving complaints about Brooks’ repeated absences, Kenosha County Eye reviewed meeting videos and minutes and sought an explanation from both Brooks and Village President Rita Bucur. Neither responded to KCE’s inquiries.
Brooks was elected April 1, 2025, receiving 2,446 votes and winning a two-year term running through April 2027. Her first meeting as a trustee was April 21, 2025, when Bucur welcomed her to the board and thanked outgoing Trustee Jared Young for his service.
Brooks’ attendance during her first calendar year in office was strong. In the 20 meetings covered by the 2025 minutes KCE reviewed, she attended 19 and missed only one. An expanded review of meeting videos and minutes for 2026, however, put her attendance through early October at about 50%.
The minutes also document several late arrivals and a few appearances by phone or video. On January 20, Brooks arrived at 6:11 p.m., six minutes after the meeting began. On May 19, she was initially listed as excused but joined virtually at 6:19 p.m., 17 minutes after the meeting started. The April 1 minutes recorded her participation by phone. Remote appearances were counted as attendance in KCE’s review.
Kenosha County Eye regularly attends Salem Lakes meetings, where trustees make decisions affecting village spending, taxes, development and public services. Residents who raised concerns about Brooks’ attendance said they expected the person they elected to participate consistently in those decisions.
Village trustees receive $9,000 per year, while the village president receives $15,000. Residents suggested that Brooks donate half her annual stipend or return it to the village — an amount totaling $4,500 — because her attendance this year has been approximately half of the meetings reviewed.
The reviewed records listed Brooks’ absences as excused, but that designation does not explain the reasons for them. KCE gave her an opportunity to explain before publishing and made clear that a medical issue or another private circumstance could lead the outlet not to pursue the story. She did not respond, and Bucur likewise left KCE’s inquiry unanswered.
There may be an explanation for Brooks’ attendance, but neither elected official has provided one to KCE. Their silence leaves residents asking a basic question: What is taking priority over the work Brooks was elected to do for the people of Salem Lakes?
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