DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Door County leaders are responding after sheriff's deputies passed a vote of no confidence against Door County Sheriff Tammy Sternard earlier this month.
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It started with dueling press statements from Sternard and her deputies. Deputies said she doesn't have their back and isn't present when needed. The Deputy Sheriff's Association then took a vote of no confidence — a formal statement signaling a loss of trust.
Sternard, who was elected in 2018, released a letter to the community calling the claims "mischaracterizations and baseless allegations."
"These are public attacks on my character and an attempt to portray me in a way that is inconsistent with my actions and record as sheriff. This has been personally hurtful," Sternard said.
In her letter, Sternard also defended her leadership and expressed disappointment that no one came directly to her.
This week, the issue was placed on the Door County Administrative Committee agenda — the group that oversees county operations.
"There was no vote that was taken, it was an informational session," Door County Corporation Counsel Sean Donohue said.
Donohue said the goal was to make sure supervisors had full context and both sides would be heard.
"We wanted to get it on a county committee agenda because the public has questions, the supervisors have questions," Donohue said.
When asked about next steps, Donohue said the plan is to continue gathering information from all parties.
"The plan is to speak with the sheriff and her administrative staff to get both sides of the picture. We already met with deputy union," Donohue said.
Donohue said he is not yet sure what the possible outcomes are. Because the sheriff holds an elected position, he said he does not believe a sheriff can be removed by a county.
County leaders say discussions are expected to continue as they work to determine next steps for the sheriff's office.
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