The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-10-10
Important Questions Taken Up at
Meeting
Action Started to Dismiss Highway
Commissioner ]. R.
Kunzelman.

a SpeclAi meeting OI the OOuHt.
Board of Bayfield, county was held a
the Court House in this city Wed
nesday. having been called for th'
purpose Of taking up county business
which was pressing at this time.
The meeting was primarily called
for the purpose of preferring charges
against Highway Commissioner j.
r.. Kunzelman for incompetency in
Office and for the purpose of giving
him a hearing, but this could not be
done according to law, the matter
having to be taken before the State
Highway Commission who will con-
duct the hearing. The charges,
eight in number, were read to the
County Board by Frank Robillard OF
Bayfield,, member of the County
Highway Committee. The report
of the committee was signed by all
members of the committee. Upon
the reading Of the report Mr..
Robillard took it upon himself to tell
the Board some of the grave mistakes
which had been made in the road
building during the past year and
held the commissioner to blame for
these.
He stated that money appropriated
for one district has been expended in
another by the Commissioner without
the consent of the Highway Conn
mittee of the County Board, that
road machinery had been placed in
the hands of incompetent persons
with the result that the machines
had been smashed and that the re-
pair bills were something enormous.
Road machinery was left along the
road to rust and spoil. That the
county Highway Commissioner had
failed to acquaint himself with the
county system of highways and had
failed to make frequent trips over
the roads but had devoted the great
er part of his time to travelling be-
tween Washbnrn and Iron River with
an occasional trip by way of Drum M
mond.
Mr.. Robillard did not mince words
in his talk and he did not attempt
to defend the High Committee of
which he is member, because of
the admitted failures in road work
this season.
The talk then developed into a
word battle between Mr.. Kunzelman
and Mr.. Robillard but this was
stopped before it had gone far.
Chairman Good, who was one of the
members of the Road Committee
signing the report perferring charges
against the Highway Commissioner,
then made statement saying that
the County Board, the County High
way Committee and the County
Commissioner were all partly to
blame for the failure in road building,
saying he hoped it would be
Jake Yderstad of the town of Lin
coin opened broadside against the
road committee and he did not mince
words in doing so.
Before the close of the meeting a
resolution was presented by Super
visor Robinson dividing the county
into three road districts, and pro-
viding that a committee OF three
be elected by the
county board, one committeeman to
be elected from each of the three
districts, these to be the County
Highway Committee, the same to
become effective when the term OF
the present committee expires.
This resolution was passed with only
one dissenting vote, Chairman Good
voting against the measure.
Heretofore the road committee
has been appointed by the Chairman
of the Board and there has always
been a fight to see who could be on
the committee. Now each district
can center upon the man they want