Senate votes to dismiss Evers appointee Todd Ambs from Natural Resources Board

MADISON – The Wisconsin state Senate ousted another of Gov. Tony Evers' appointees to the Natural Resources Board Tuesday, citing concerns that the person couldn't work in a bipartisan manner.

The Senate voted along party lines to oust Todd Ambs, with only Democrats voting to keep him on.

Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, said she thought it was unlikely that Ambs would be able to work with people across the board.

"These people have to work, work with people that are like-minded and not like-minded," she said. "Gov. Evers needs to appoint people who are willing to work with liberals, who are willing to work with conservatives, Green party, independent, whatever. Because we're not a blue state, we're not a red state, we're a purple state. So we're asking you to send us appointees that work with all."

Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, called out Republicans on their failure to yet confirm any of Evers' appointments to the NRB this session.

"I'm extremely disappointed with the party gridlock being manufactured by the Republican caucus," he said. "It is increasingly clear the majority party will only go on to confirm appointees who espouse Republican orthodoxy."

Ambs said in a statement that the allegation that he won't work with Republicans is "patently false." He also pointed to past NRB appointees, such as Frederick Prehn, who remained on the board past the end of his term to ensure conservative control over decisions.

"Meanwhile, some people are now trying to build a narrative around my 'inability to work with others' because they can’t challenge my qualifications. And they don’t like the fact that I have spent my career working on behalf of our natural resources — enforcing the laws that protect those natural resources and zealously guarding against efforts to weaken protections for our land, air and water," he said in the statement.

"In short, the majority party in the Wisconsin State Senate has made a mockery of the confirmation process and in turn diminishes the institution that purport to serve."

Ambs most recently served as the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin DNR before he retired in December 2021. He 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.

Evers said in a release Tuesday afternoon that the decision was disappointing.

“Unfortunately, with these legislative Republicans, bipartisanship and common sense always seem to take two steps forward and two steps back, and that trend continued today when Senate Republicans took up yet another group of exceptionally qualified citizen appointees and fired them for simply doing their jobs,” he said in the release.

“I am endlessly grateful for the time, energy, and expertise of these individuals who’ve answered the call to serve their people of our state, and I’m disappointed their public service was cut short today for no reason other than petty, partisan politics. While today’s decision is a disappointment, I know that the individuals who are taking up these positions will similarly perform to the highest standards of public service Wisconsinites expect.”

Robin Schmidt, Patty Schachtner and Douglas Cox all remain unconfirmed, and no vote has yet been scheduled.

The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions voted last week to approve three of the nominations, but voted down Ambs along party lines, setting the stage for how the full Senate would vote. But the full Senate only took up Ambs' appointment Tuesday, leaving the other three appointees without a confirmation vote.

The NRB sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources for everything from the quota for wolf hunting, to the standards for contaminants in drinking water. The board is made up of seven members, appointed for staggered terms by the governor.

More: New NRB appointees grilled on role of board, cranes, stewardship by Senate

Why did Republicans single out Ambs?

Ambs during his hearing in front of the Senate committee was questioned about his online criticism of the Republican Party. Committee chair Sen. Rob Stafsholdt, R-New Richmond, questioned him about some of his tweets from 2022, in which he said the party was full of "assholes."

"Would you like to explain to me how as a Republican, you believe that I can work with you?" Stafsholdt said during the December hearing.

Ambs said he wasn't sure what those posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, were in reference to and that he'd have to look at them.

"I know it's no secret but I am no fan of the former president," Ambs said during the hearing, referring to former President Donald Trump. "And for that I make no apologies."

Ambs said during a meeting of the NRB in January that he absolutely can work in a bipartisan and nonpartisan fashion, and highlighted his time on the Great Lakes Compact, which consists of both Republican and Democratic governors from the U.S., in addition to lawmakers from Canada.

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

"Working with both Democratic and Republican appointees from across the Great Lakes region, we succeeded in developing what many consider to be the greatest conservation agreement in North America in this century. And that bipartisan international work continues to this day," he said during the meeting.

Who are the appointees?

Ambs most recently served as the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin DNR before he retired in December 2021. He 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. She is a licensed hydrologist with experience managing water quality programs.

Schachtner served in the Senate from 2018 to 2021, representing the 10th Senate District. 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. Cox has also previously served as the tribal chairman, a forest monitoring specialist and the environmental program coordinator for the tribe’s environmental services department.

What happened to the previous appointees selected by Evers?

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

Sharon Adams, Dylan Jennings, Sandra Dee Naas and Jim VandenBrook were all rejected by the Senate, largely along party lines.

Concerns raised about the appointees stemmed 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.

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

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Republicans dismiss another Evers Natural Resources Board appointee