A second Chippewa Falls City Council member has resigned citing concerns over transparency in city government and issues with the city budget process.
The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram and the Chippewa Herald in Chippewa Falls detailed the resignation in their Aug. 7 and Aug. 9 issues, respectively. According to the same story authored by Chris Vetter:
Councilwoman Heather Martell resigned from her Fifth District seat. Last month, Councilman Scott Sullivan resigned from his Fourth District seat. This means that the city will need to appoint new members to fill both vacancies.
“I have tried my hardest to ensure that there is transparency, openness, and willingness to have conversations about the goings on within the city,” Martell wrote in her resignation announcement. “It has always been my goal, from day one, to bring the community into the decision making, to bring government back to the people. I tried, but continually met with the resistance of ‘We’ve always done it this way,’ and without the support and presence of the community on a regular basis, the status quo wins again.”
Martell said a Committee of the Whole meeting a week ago left her frustrated because the public wasn’t allowed to ask questions of the auditor.
The council actually filled a vacancy in the Seventh District on Tuesday; that was vacant because Mayor Jason Hiess resigned from the council when he won the mayor’s seat in April. The Council appointed Tim Normand to fill the remainder of that term, which runs through April 2027.
Martell, 38, was appointed to fill the Fifth District seat in November 2022.
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