Kruse chosen as new La Crosse County Board chair

The La Crosse County Board chooses an 11-year board veteran as its new leader. 

Monica Kruse was unopposed, as she was elected on Tuesday night as board chairman for the next two years. 

Kruse thanked fellow supervisors for placing their faith in her, and said “Let’s get to work.”

She succeeds Tara Johnson, who retired from the board this month after 20 years as a supervisor, the last eight as board chair.     

Former board chair Steve Doyle nominated Kruse, calling her a “consummate consensus builder” on the county board.  

What might normally be a fairly routine post-election board meeting was complicated a bit by social distancing.

Since supervisors elected this month were attending by Skype, some of them wound up talking over each other while taking the oath of office from Judge Scott Horne.   

Kim Cable was named first vice-chair. 

Voting took several minutes on-line, especially because it took three ballots to choose Andrea Richmond as second vice-chair.

Richmond and Randy Erickson were tied on the second ballot, and one vote apparently switched to Richmond on the third ballot.