East Troy’s former Town Chairman and his response to community Requested transparency
At the 2021 Annual Town Meeting - Joe K promised transparency and allowed the beginning of the Communication Committee in 2022. But were they able to finish to completion? JK felt the committees work was complete and pulled the rug out from under them. Read the following Letter submitted to the East Troy Times By one of the Committee members. Published in the East Troy Times 3/6/2025:
Make a difference at the ballot box
I’m not sure if many of you remember the Communication Committee of which I was a participating and active member. The tension, resistance and combative interaction with the town and Chairman (Joe) Klarkowski is still very vivid for me. I am submitting this letter simply to inform all citizens about my experience before you find yourself at the ballot box where you can make a difference! I began my tenure with the Communication Committee in January 2022 and naively thought we were tackling the positive work of adding a Facebook page, creating quarterly written newsletters and providing video recordings of the town meetings. In mid to late 2022 when two members dropped off the committee, Joe and MaryJo Jones submitted their names for consideration to join the Communication Committee. They were initially accepted on the committee by Supervisor (Michele) Reyes and we spent numerous months tackling these committee tasks together. Suddenly and out of nowhere, chairman Klarkowski demanded that he needed to interview Joe and MaryJo before he would appoint them to the committee. It probably took two to three months before Joe and MaryJo were finally and formally appointed at the February 2023 Regular Board Meeting. By the time May 2023 rolled around, Chairman Klarkowski led the charge to abruptly disband the Communication Committee without advance notice even to Supervisor Reyes. The vote to disband moved forward despite the eight or more residents who got up during public comments pleading to leave the committee intact. It’s important to note that Klarkowski stated he interviewed all the Communications Committee members and I made it a point to mention during public comments at a board meeting that he never interviewed me, and I was on the committee since January 2022 timeframe. Joe and MaryJo were the only ones; I’m not sure if that was because they asked too many questions but it sure seemed that way to me! I was shocked and amazed at the abrupt nature of this disbanding vote and I didn’t really understand why since we were actively engaged in four to five projects. I hope this clearly speaks to my personal experience regarding the ex-chairman who resigned without any notice on Feb. 4 and now appears to want his job back. With regards to Joe Jones and his run for Town of East Troy Chairman position, I cannot speak highly enough of his commitment to the improvement and betterment of our town. He has my full support!
Leah Bitar, East Troy