That's beside the point.

Jenifer is doing a great job. The office has the resources and has the ability to do everything a medical examiner can do so there isn't a point to make the change.

Just for the record JohnQ: I had the flashier signs and I lost the two county coroner elections. I spent four years of my life learning and campaigning. I disagree with your interpretation of a race for a county office. At the time of my campaigns, many people were right, the incumbent had more experience, more education, and would have been the best candidate on paper - Where did that get us? In this current situation. The argument can be made that a county board position is also a publicity contest, and now some want those chosen on the county board to determine the qualifications of the coroner. I think we actually have some farmers on the county board. So these "farmers" would not be qualified for coroner but are allowed to influence how the coroner's office functions and to determine who is qualified and to appoint the medical examiner. In fact, the majority of those (correct me if I'm wrong) who supported a medical examiner were from rural areas of the county. I guess there is no guarantee that "Farmer Joe" will be elected or "Farmer Joe" will be appointing and supervising the medical examiner.

I have a problem with 29 people making a decision that has the statutory power and an INDEPENDENT responsibility to the people of the county. This position is not like an accountant or another department head.
Another point is there is no need to change from a coroner to a medical examiner. Read the documentation completed by the county administration. There is virtually no difference between a medical examiner and a coroner from a job duty view. The change to a medical examiner does not save taxpayer money but no one really knows how much it would cost (a very poor fiscal management action) and the coroner actually has more oversight now. The county board and county board public safety and justice committee control the financial side of the coroner's office, which yields a tremendous influence. A elected individual is not protected by the human resource privacy requirements where the county can say "no comment." An elected individual offers more transparency. Counties usually change systems due to the actions of one individual but do not realize the office is not broken, just the the person who broke the public trust. County board memebers and administrators change and making the coroner a department head allows a county administrator to wield strong influence, resulting in possible erosion of the independent death investigation.

This is dumb.

This subject just won't DIE.....Let me take a STAB at this subject.

If Keach is doing a reliable, responsible job, then why mess with it? For the few cases we need an "examiner", we can farm out the job.

I hope my opinion is DEAD on. It is time to BURY the hatchett with Karen...

Wasting tax money? The coroner gets paid hello!

Having a medical examiner would have been a better idea. It would be quicker then sending everything to another facility to find the cause of death and so on. It takes so much longer to send something to Madison and or Milwaukee and get the results back, either they are backed up or we are not priority. IMO

There is no way to assure the public that "Farmer Joe actually running and winning are slim." It's a popularity contest, plain and simple. I want a coroner to be qualified, not popular. There should be even more concern if a medical examiner and coroner have the same duties. One (medical examiner) is hired based upon skill, education, qualifications, references and the other (coroner) is hired based upon how flashy their campaign signs are, placement of their name on the ballot in the first position, how handsome/pretty/distinguished they look, and how succesful they are at winning the popularity contest. These types of decisions are the product of uneducated narrow minded local folks that believe the world ends at the county line.

Taking the voters' rights away? Come on, Jdowd, get real. We're not electing someone to represent our views in a governing body, we're electing someone to do a professional job. Electing the county coroner is like electing the county accountant. This should not be a political position. It should be applied for by qualified people and hired by the folks we elect to do these things, the County Board. But if the County Board keeps making bonehead decisions like this, maybe that's not a good thing anyway!

An appointed medical examiner also is a department head, which falls into the protection of the human resource area. There are privacy laws which protect employees and how often have you heard that no comment can be made on personnel decisions. An elected official is more transparent and requires the electorate to be vigilant toward knowing what is going on in the office. The county board already has a mechanism which can oversee and know what the coroner is doing, the Rock County Public Safety Committee. The only reason this issue is an issue is because of the actions of one individual who broke the law, taking people's rights aware in the name of protecting voters from themselves should never be an option.

The chances of Farmer Joe actually running and winning are slim. I have read the report put together by county adminstration, over and over again, it states that a medical examiner and a coroner would have the same job duties, from all indications would not save taxpayer money, and would not give county residents a way to shape the position but give the power to those on the county board and the county administrator.

What a mistake! This position should be based on medical qualifications, not a popularity contest. Just what I want, farmer Joe trying to determine a loved one's cause of death. I can hear it now, "well Bessie the cow kinda looked like this when she died a few years ago and that was from not enough water and too much hay in her innerds."

The county board actually protected the choice voters make. This change back to an elected position places trust in the electorate, Now the voters of the community need to vote and find out what is going on before voting for someone.

Taxpayer dollars have nothing to do with it.

A medical examiner position could be structured any way we want it to be...(as evidenced by the studies done previously) and could actually be more cost effective than an elected position.

At this point it's pure politics...and that stinks.

with just over 160,000 residents in Rock County, we arent even close to the 500,000 population that is mandated to have a medical examiner. This is no time for "running with the big dogs". Rock County, with the highest unemployment in the state, should.nt be wasting the taxpayers dollars just to be a "show-off".

I would recommend that every county citizen attend at least one county board meeting.

I would like to say that it is entertaining, but the reality is that it is actually quite sad.

If you think your county board rep. really votes your wishes...I would say...THINK AGAIN...and go see for yourself.

BUT I guess it's nobody's fault but your own if you don't vote.

The county board went through a complete dissection and analysis of the position after the fiasco and came to the correct conclusion...a medical examiner is the way to go...for many reasons beyond just that...

But once again, the county board shows it's indifference to the citizenry and wanders down the political path...

Just like the County Board to undo the only smart and bold decision they've made in the last decade.
Oh well, at least serving on the Board keeps a bunch of old retired people busy.