By Shereen Siewert
Members of the Marathon County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will likely appoint a successor for Clerk Nan Kottke, who retired Friday after 48 years of service.
The clerk is an elected official who issues licenses, passports, sellers permits and other applications while serving as the official record keeper for the Marathon County Board. All board minutes, resolutions and ordinances are posted and kept on file by the clerk, who also oversees election processes in Marathon County. Kottke’s term would have ended in April 2020. Rather than holding a special election, the board will appoint a replacement to serve until the next election term.
A selection panel narrowed the field of candidates to five before choosing Kim Trueblood as the recommended replacement for Kottke, said Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger, who did not participate in the selection process personally because of his own pending retirement at the end of the year.
Board members initially were set to discuss Trueblood’s appointment last week, but the discussion was postponed to allow for additional investigation into Trueblood’s background, Karger said, in a phone interview with Wausau Pilot and Review. After the investigation concluded, the selection committee reaffirmed its position that Trueblood is the best candidate, Karger said.
Trueblood currently works as an administrative specialist in the Marathon County Clerk’s office, a position she’s held since June 2018. Prior to joining the office she was a substitute teacher with the Wausau School District for six years and also was a seven-year member of the Board of Canvass for Marathon County, according to her application materials.
Before voting on the appointment, board members will go into closed session, an unusual move in choosing a political appointee. But Marathon County Corporation Counsel Scott Corbett said the closed exemption is allowed by state law for a portion of post-interview deliberation in certain circumstances, and is appropriate in this case.
The board meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Marathon County Courthouse, 500 Forest St., Wausau.
