For some, Karger suspension not harsh enough

WAUSAU - Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger's participation in a public demonstration in May related to Dylan Yang's trial seriously vexed many County Board members and police.

The board voted just before midnight Tuesday to suspend Karger for 30 days and develop a plan to mend relationships with the Sheriff's Department and police departments throughout the county. Karger is also required to issue a public statement.

Some County Board members wanted to limit Karger's suspension to 15 days. Others wanted Karger fired.

"I would be happy to terminate him," said County Board member Dave Wysong. "He was the leader, or is the leader, and he got involved with a situation that he knew was not healthy. That’s my opinion."

On May 31, Karger marched with the hundreds of demonstrators who came to Wausau for an event urging fairness in the justice system and anti-bullying efforts in the schools. Many attendees said Dylan Yang was not treated fairly in the court system because he's Hmong and that he should have been tried as a juvenile, rather than an adult.

A jury convicted Yang of first-degree reckless homicide in March. In 2015 Yang stabbed 13-year-old Isaiah Powell twice in the back during a street fight between two groups of boys. Yang claimed self-defense, because Powell was using a BB gun that Yang believed was real.

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After the march, Wausau Police Chief Jeff Hardel and Marathon County Sheriff Scott Parks questioned whether it was appropriate for Karger to participate in the controversial event. The County Board brought in an outside investigator to look into it.

Details of the investigation have been discussed only in closed meetings, and elected leaders have been mum on the subject. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin has requested the investigation and other related documents under the state's open record law, but they haven't been released yet.

Hardel declined to comment Wednesday. Parks, in an email Monday to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, called the Yang case "a tragic event involving two underage males who made extremely poor choices."

"A community leader’s demonstrated actions will always speak louder than the words hoped to portray," Parks wrote. "The area criminal justice community including my staff were disappointed to see the county administrator directly involved with a protest march that proclaimed an anti-criminal justice system message along with other symbols of racism and hatred."

Karger said Wednesday that he didn't make allegations of racism or bias in the local justice system, but he's being associated with those sentiments shared by some at the march. One sign said "END WHITE SUPREMACY," another "RACIST INSTITUTIONS RACIST JUSTICE." Several other signs had messages such as "JUSTICE," "LOVE," and "STAND TOGETHER."

"I don't believe I was making any offensive comments, and in fact, I wasn't," Karger said. He's not ashamed that he participated in the event, but he said he's not sure he would do it again. "To be honest, I'm surprised that it got this far."

Karger said his last performance review, completed this time last year, was exemplary. He's worked for the county since 1988 and has never been the subject of discipline or an investigation, he said. And there aren't any rules in his contract or in county policy, that he knows of, that forbid staff members from participating in political events or public demonstrations.

"Typically what you see in matters like this is that you are identified as a community leader and your off-duty conduct needs to reflect well upon you as a leader and on the county as an organization," Karger said.

County Board member Jack Hoogendyk took issue with the fact that Karger spoke at the rally in professional attire and was introduced as the county administrator. He supported firing Karger or encouraging Karger to resign.

The board voted 30 to 5 to suspend Karger without pay and starting Monday.

Karger's salary this year is $124,654, according to County Finance Director Kristi Kordus. The suspension could cost him roughly $11,000 in pay.

County Board member Katie Rosenberg supported the suspension because she doesn't want Karger to be fired, she wrote in a Facebook post early Wednesday.

"Tonight was tough," Rosenberg wrote. "Going into this, I did not support suspension. I still think 30 days is too harsh and I supported the failed amendment to reduce the term (to 15 days). But ultimately, I agonizingly made the decision to vote in favor of this motion because the other option being discussed was termination."

Rosenberg and Karger said the national conversation about recent attacks against police and incidents of police shooting civilians could be playing a role in people's reaction to Karger's choice to speak and march. Karger said race issues are not resolved nationally, and they're not resolved in Marathon County.

"I feel like there's an important role for community leaders to at least raise a discussion point about what's happening here in our community," Karger said. "There's a broader national issue going on about racial disparity in the criminal justice system. And I don't pretend to be an expert in that, nor was I making a comment on that. But it is happening, and it won't get better by squelching speech."

Karger met with elected officials Wednesday afternoon about the suspension and other requirements laid out by the board.

His unpaid suspension is set to begin on Monday and last 30 days.

Nora G. Hertel: nora.hertel@gannettwisconsin.com or 715-845-0665; on Twitter @nghertel.