Rhinelander City Council appoints Lueder to airport commission

The Rhinelander City Council on Monday agreed to approve mayor Kris Hanus’ appointment of alderperson Bob Lueder to the airport commission. 

Hanus was absent from the meeting, but he brought the appointment to the council for consideration on March 10.

While there was discussion among council members at the meeting earlier this month, there was hardly any discussion on Monday. 

Alderperson David Holt made the motion and alderperson Luke Kramer seconded it. Before the council voted on the motion, alderperson Steven Jopek said a few words.

“I know this was, I don’t want to say a point of contention, but it was something that we kind of discussed last time and looked for an explanation from the mayor,” he said. “Based on the email that we received from the current person sitting on the board as well as listening to Mr. Lueder’s explanation of his credentials, I guess I just want to make it public that I felt that that explanation was valid and warranted and that discussion, I think, had left some people wanting to hear more. I think Mr. (Gerald) Anderson asked for us to table it for … a meeting, which I think is valid as well. But with that being said, I think that Mr. Lueder more than demonstrated that he has the knowledge and awareness of being on the board. So I guess I have no reservations on that end.”

The vote passed unanimously, but Lueder voted in favor of the appointment. 

However, according to city attorney Steven Sorenson, Lueder voting for the mayor’s appointment of himself isn’t an issue because there’s no financial gain for Lueder. 

“If there had been, then he couldn’t vote for it,” he said. 

Lueder serving on the airport commission, which governs the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport that’s owned 50-50 between the city and county, is simply “more work” for him, Sorenson said. 

“Under ethics code, you can’t vote to put yourself in a position to make money,” Sorenson said. “ … Some people would probably presume that he should have not voted, but he’s on the council, he has the right to do that.”

There were questions about Lueder and any conflicts of interest he might have by serving on the airport commission that were brought up at the council’s March 10 meeting. 

However, Sorenson clarified to the council at the time that, based on a conversation with Lueder, there would be no conflicts of interest because he wouldn’t make any financial gain from serving. 

Lueder, while speaking during the March 10 meeting, told fellow council members he believes he’d be of value to the airport commission because of his extensive career in the “aviation market” for over four decades.

Former airport commission member Geoff Weller is who Lueder will replace. 

Weller sent the council an email which was read aloud at the March 10 meeting expressing his desire to be re-appointed. Given a 100 percent re-appointment rate, he said in the letter, he didn’t think much of not hearing back from Hanus when he expressed an interest to continue serving. 

Hanus, though, said at the March 10 meeting appointments to the airport commission are for five years and aren’t for a lifetime. He said Weller was an appointment made by the county five years ago and not an appointment by the city. 

There were a number of reasons Hanus said he appointed Lueder, one being the need for an update to the airport ownership agreement coming down the pipe and having a council member be on both bodies was of value.

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].