Senate Republicans vote down appointees to Natural Resources Board; Evers appoints new members

MADISON – The Natural Resources Board now has four newly appointed members, after Senate Republicans voted to reject four previous members appointed by Gov Tony Evers.

Sharon Adams, Dylan Jennings, Sandra Dee Naas and Jim VandenBrook were all rejected by the Senate, largely along party lines. The four were rejected over various concerns raised by Republicans, including their viewpoints whether there should be a quota for the number of wolves in Wisconsin and whether they would approve administrative rules brought forward by the Department of Natural Resources.

Evers is not able to reappoint any of the rejected members at this point, but he did immediately appoint new members: Todd Ambs, Robin Schmidt, Patty Schachter and Douglas Cox. They will be able to take a part in the Natural Resources Board's meeting next week.

In a statement, Evers' office blasted Republicans for turning down Adams, Jennings, Naas and VandenBrook.

"The decision by Wisconsin Republicans to fire the governor’s four exceptionally qualified NRB appointees — for which Republicans have publicly offered little to no justification or rationale — follows a years-long effort by Senate Republicans to block the governor’s appointments to the NRB," the statement said.

The new appointees will now also face scrutiny by the Senate in their confirmation process.

Democrats defended Evers' appointees, to no avail.

Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, asked his Republican colleagues what they planned to do when Evers appoints someone new.

"Their replacements will be just as qualified. But if you keep firing them, eventually you'll run out of people willing to serve and you still won't get people who agree with you," he said. "You just want to break this system entirely."

Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, asked his colleagues on the floor if they were playing a political game.

"What are the legitimate reasons we are rejecting these highly qualified people who love this state and what they've been chosen to do?" he asked. "I'm just curious to hear your excuses."

In a statement after the votes, Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, called the rejections "alarming."

“By rejecting these confirmations today, Senate Republicans have rejected the invaluable skillset and knowledge that these folks would contribute to the state in their respective fields and instead chose nasty partisanship," she said.

“The rejection of these appointments is unprecedented. Since 1981, the State Senate has only rejected five executive appointments. The GOP is becoming increasingly extreme and their inability to carry out this basic responsibility highlights their continued dysfunction within their party and inability to govern."

But Republicans were quick to rebuke Democrats.

"This is a message to Governor Evers, to appoint more people that are up to speed on the state as a whole," said Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma.

Sen. Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said in a statement regarding the rejections that the Senate "takes its responsibility to provide advice and consent seriously."

"Multiple of the Governor's appointees to the Natural Resources Board openly indicated they would not comply with the laws of our state if confirmed," he said in a statement. "Wisconsinites will not state for public servants who are unqualified or refuse to follow the law."

LeMahieu's concerns stem from the committee hearings held for each appointee. They were asked if they would support administrative rules brought forward by the DNR that cost more than $10 million over two years, which is the limit set in state statutes. Often rules proposed by the DNR will have a cost analysis by the agency that is less than $10 million over two years, but outside analysis will suggest that compliance could cost more.

Several of the appointees said they would vote to approve such a measure, if it was supported by the DNR, which became a sticking issue for Republicans.

Only one Republican broke ranks and voted alongside Democrats to confirm the appointees: Sen. Rob Cowles of Green Bay.

Cowles said that his colleagues can't expect to agree with every opinion of every appointee, especially when they're appointed by a governor affiliated with the opposing political party. Now the Senate will have to go through the same process all over again.

"Now there are four new appointees, and are they going to carry water for the governor? Of course, they're his appointees," he said. "I don't think it was a good idea to know down those four today."

Evers immediately appoints new members to the NRB

The new members appointed by Evers bring a lengthy history of experience in state government and in natural resources management.

Ambs and most recently served as the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin DNR before he retired in December 2021, according to a release from Evers. Ambs has also served as the water division administrator for the DNR, executive director for the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and campaign director for Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

Schmidt retired from the DNR in 2018 after 34 years of state service, having most recently served as the chief of the environmental loans section, according to a release. She is a licensed professional hydrologist with experience managing programs that work to improve the water quality of the state. Schmidt also previously served as the food and agricultural security/homeland security liaison at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

Schachtener served in the Senate from 2018 to 2021, representing the 10th Senate District, according to a release. She now serves on the Somerset Community Food Pantry Board and the Board of Directors for Turningpoint Wisconsin, a center for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

Cox has more than 30 years of experience with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and is currently the tribe’s land management director, according to a release. Cox has also previously served as the tribal chairperson, a forest monitoring specialist, and the environmental program coordinator for the tribe’s environmental services department.

No vote is latest in NRB saga

The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage voted late last month to reject four out of five of the appointees, approving only one — Paul Buhr, a longtime farmer from the Driftless region.

Buhr was notably not up for a vote Tuesday.

Adams is co-founder of the Milwaukee-based Walnut Way Conservation Corporation, a community development organization that seeks to promote economically diverse and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods.

Jennings is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

VandenBrook served the executive director of the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association from 2012 through 2018, and served as the water quality section chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection from 1986 to 2012.

Naas is a teacher in the Ashland School District, and has a long history with conservation, including operating her own business focused on soil conservation.

More: Conflict over the Natural Resources Board flared again. What to know about the latest developments

The no vote for the four appointees from the Senate is the latest in a series of pushback against Evers by Senate Republicans, who for years refused to hold confirmation hearings for many of his appointments to various boards.

Earlier this year Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu cast doubt on Evers' appointees to the board, saying that they seemed "political" and "maybe don't have the background" to be on the board. At this point, a majority of the board is unconfirmed.

The last several years have been marred by controversy for the NRB. In 2021, when former board member Frederick Prehn's term expired, the Wausau dentist refused to step down from his seat, creating months of infighting between the Walker and Evers appointees. Though Prehn's decision was upheld by the state Supreme Court, other members of the board and members of the public decried Prehn's decision and pushed for his exit.

The state Senate refused to hold a confirmation vote for the new appointee.

Prehn held the seat for nearly two years past its expiration date, only to quietly step down at the end of December, with no explanation. At that point, Naas, whom Evers selected for Prehn's spot, was able to take her seat.

Board Chair Bill Smith was confirmed by the Senate after his appointment in 2019, and Vice-Chair Marcy West was confirmed shortly after her appointment in 2020.

What is the NRB?

The Natural Resources Board sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources and is made up of seven members. Board members are nominated by the governor for six-year terms, staggered to prevent boards from being appointed within one governor's term.

More: With two new members, and one conflict in the past, here's the Natural Resources Board

Under the law, three members are appointed from the northern part of the state, three from the south and one member is "at large." At least one board member must have an agricultural background and at least three members must have held a hunting, fishing or trapping license in at least seven of the 10 years before nomination.

Members are confirmed by the state Senate, which reserves the right to reject appointments by the governor. But to take a seat on the board, appointees don't need to be confirmed, as long as the member they're replacing vacates the seat.

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate votes to reject Evers' NRB appointees; Gov. appoints new members