W. Allis may make 3 offices appointive

West Allis Voters may no longer elect the city clerk, assessor and treasurer, if the Common Council approves a proposed charter ordinance to make those positions appointive.

Instead of being elected to four-year terms, the individuals in those positions would be appointed by the mayor and approved by the Common Council.

The ordinance is being referred to a council committee for further study. If approved, the changes would take effect in May 1996.

The proposal, which has the backing of the three people who now hold those jobs, comes because city officials are concerned about the possibility of unqualified people being elected to those key posts. The officials currently in these posts are: Eldon Rinka, city clerk; Jerry White, city treasurer; and Paul T. Koller, assessor.

"Government is becoming more complex all the time, more difficult, more challenging," said City Administrator Paul Ziehler, and the city needs assurances that qualified people will fill those positions.

For example, he said, even though the city clerk's position has numerous technical responsibilities, there are no job requirements other than being a resident of West Allis.

Ziehler said there has been a long history of incumbents in those posts winning re-election and many of those individuals served for a long time under the previous incumbent as an assistant.

Still, "the fact that, with any of our elected positions, somebody could run without any education, experience or specialized training," is a bit troublesome, Ziehler said.

West Allis, which has about 63,000 residents, is one of the few major cities in Wisconsin to have an elected clerk, treasurer or assessor. Ziehler said officials surveyed 12 other cities with a population of 50,000 or more and found that in only one La Crosse were any of those positions filled by the electorate.

In the others, including Green Bay, Beloit, Fond du Lac and Eau Claire, the individuals in those three posts were appointed.

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