Rhinelander City Administrator Daniel Guild has responded to statements made by Council President George Kirby earlier this week. Kirby said he wanted the full council to talk about some expenditures made by Guild and because they weren’t on the agenda, it couldn’t be discussed. Kirby left the meeting after making a brief statement.
Guild issued a press release(below) saying he was saddened by the statements Kirby made and disagreed with those statements. He says all the expenditures under question were made with the knowledge of Mayor Chris Frederickson, the City Attorney, Finance Director and the Director of Buildings and Grounds. Guild says the expenditures were within the budget passed by the council and were done legally and appropriately.
He says it was unfortunate the issue materialized through the news media, and said he respects Kirby and wants to work with him and the rest of the council to achieve goals for the greater good.
Guild says he looks forward to finding a solution to this disagreement and looks forward to working will all the council. He says they’re all passionate about what they do. He says he remains committed to advancing the work of the city.
The press release from Daniel Guild is below.
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"It has been a privilege working for the City of Rhinelander these past 4 months. During this time, I have discovered I work for a Common Council of 9 passionate individuals who care deeply about this community, in addition to having a diverse spectrum of opinions on how we, together, as a team, can best serve City citizens and taxpayers.
I was saddened by some of the events/actions of Monday night’s Common Council meeting. I am aware of the allegations George has made, and, with respect, I am not in agreement with the accuracy of this statement. I like and respect, George, and despite this incident and recent allegation, I will continue to look forward to building a more productive working relationship with him.
As to the allegations which have been made, I can guarantee all expenditures within my department were made with the knowledge of Mayor Frederickson, the City Attorney, the City Finance Director, and the City Buildings & Grounds Director. All expenditures were made within City department budgets and all purchasing was done legally and appropriately.
Clearly, disagreements remain, which is unfortunate. It is unlikely satisfaction for either side will be achieved through the news media. This is not a best practice for finding a resolution. My experiences in local government have taught me it is preferable to have elected City officials come together with their colleagues on the Common Council and work with them, as a team, to address concerns, and, as partners, find solutions, which continue to advance the greater good.
I would encourage the entire Council to do so here in this situation. Until this recent disagreement is resolved, and thereafter, my team and I remain committed to and focused on serving Mayor Frederickson and the Common Council, advancing their priorities and aspirations for an improved City of Rhinelander local government."
