Kewaskum's village president and village administrator have both resigned following an intense village board meeting, capping months of conflict that began with an effort to remove the village police chief from office.Village Pr esident Michael "Fuzz" Martin and Village Administrator Adam Gitter both stepped down. Martin read from a resignation letter at the meeting. I am deeply troubled that the message sent to the residents of Kewaskum is that the standards of integrity we should demand from those entrusted with public safety are negotiable. I refuse to accept that and I refuse to let the future of this community be defined by that message. I am resigning because my family deserves peace.The resignations follow a months-long effort by village leadership to remove Police Chief Thomas Bishop, who was accused of bad hiring practices. The Police and Fire Commission eventually cleared Bishop of any wrongdoing.Kewaskum resident Sandy Passineau was among those willing to speak on the record about the shakeup. She questioned the approach taken against the chief. "It didn't make any sense why they were going after this gentleman personally versus the policy, if that was the problem," Passineau said. "Them both deciding to walk away, now maybe the village, we can have some closure and let's put this ugliness behind us and move forward. Thank you for the good things you did, but maybe this is really the most prudent decision going forward."Several other residents, speaking off camera, said they had lost trust in the board. Village Board Trustee Mary Schlitt acknowledged how the situation may appear from the outside but pushed back on the idea that the board is fractured."I can see from the outside looking in that it might look that way," she said. "But, I will tell you that government is an ever-changing landscape. We are in a place where we are ready for those changes almost on a day-to-day basis." Schlitt said the board will review hiring policies more consistently going forward and is focused on finding replacements for both vacant positions."I would like the community to know that we're strong," she said. "You have a board that is not divided and is going to navigate through this. We've got this, Kewaskum. We've got you."The board is expected to hold a special meeting to review the process for filling the vacant roles. A date for that meeting has not yet been announced.Both Martin and Gitter declined to speak on-camera. It was my absolute pleasure and a dream fulfilled to serve this community and this village board. Kewaskum is set up for nothing but success in the future and the amazing staff at the village are the right ones to carry out the vision for the village board.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less