Longtime Winnebago County Board member Michael Norton has died, police say death not suspicious

OSHKOSH – Longtime Winnebago County Board member Michael Norton died Wednesday, according to county officials.

A joint statement from County Board Chairman Tom Egan and County Executive Jon Doemel said that Oshkosh police performed a welfare check Wednesday at Norton's home and found he had died. The statement said his death is not being considered suspicious.

Norton represented District 20, which includes a portion of Oshkosh south of the Fox River, and had served on the county board since 2000 — those 23 years ranked him the second-longest serving among active board members.

Egan and Doemel's statement went on to express their gratitude for Norton's service:

"He had represented the county over the years on Wisconsin Counties Association and National Association of Counties steering committees — particularly advocating for human services and public health issues. We offer our condolences to his friends and family."

Assistant County Executive Ethan Hollenberger said in an email that the county clerk will post the board's open position, and the board will review applications and interview candidates. Chairman Egan would be the one to recommend an appointment, which would be confirmed at a future board meeting.

Winnebago County, including the medical examiner, said they will not be releasing any more information at this time.

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Katy Macek contributed to this report.

Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Longtime Winnebago County Board member Michael Norton found dead