A member of Wisconsin's newly created ethics oversight commission has resigned less than six months into his term, saying the partisan board is too secret, lacks transparency and is purposefully set up to fail.
Robert Kinney issued a statement Monday describing his reasons for resigning from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Kinney is a reserve judge who spent more than 30 years as an Oneida County circuit judge.
He was one of three Democratic picks for the board which also has three Republican members. The new partisan commission replaced the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board in July.
Kinney says the new commission's rules "require too much secrecy and too little transparency." He says commission members create obstacles for staff that will erode morale and "we will lose these talented people."
