Tina Tryggestad selected as new La Crosse County Board Chair
La Crosse Tribune: Gavin Michaelson | Published on 4/17/2024
With seven new board members installed Monday following the April 2 election, the new-look La Crosse County Board selected Tina Tryggestad to serve as board chair.
As several board members left their role as supervisors on the La Crosse County Board last Monday, new board members and new leadership officially took office at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
In a majority vote, Tryggestad was elected as the board’s chair, Kim Cable was re-elected as vice chair and David Pierce was elected as second vice chair.
Tryggestad and Pierce replace former chairperson Monica Kruse and former second vice chair Randy Erickson, who decided not to run for their previous board leadership roles, though they remain on the board.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me as chair, I am honored and humbled – I am also nervous and wonderfully imperfect,” Tryggestad said. “I’m also excited – I’m excited for the work. I’m excited by the wonderful, innovative and dedicated staff. And I’m excited by the new board surrounding us tonight.”
Tryggestad said she hopes to witness more unity as the board continues to move forward.
“Unfortunately, the involvement of partisan money influence and politics in our county’s nonpartisan spring election damaged our interpersonal relationships. It also eroded public confidence in our ability to represent La Crosse County,” said Tryggestad. “Together, I would like us to mend those relationships and convey to the voters the amazing and cohesive work the board and county staff do every day. … Let’s demonstrate to our community that unity prevails over division.”
Alongside the voting for new leadership, newly elected members officially took their seats and went through the orientation process.
The group of new supervisors include former board members Grant Mathu from District 6; and Joe Kovacevich, District 22; and new board members Kelly Leibold from District 1; Em Anderson, District 5; Dave Balduzzi, District 21; Travis Elam, District 23; Paul Wuensch, District 27; and Ron Rothering, District 28.
Rick Kyte was unanimously reappointed to the La Crosse County Ethics Board for a three-year term and Judy Bower was unanimously reappointed to the Ethics Board as first alternate for a three-year term.
Finally, the board unanimously approved the reauthorization of worker’s compensation self-insurance, a conditional-use permit for home occupations and professional offices in the town of Holland, and a petition to rezone from the Exclusive Agriculture District to Residential District “A” for future residential use in Onalaska.