Several speakers came to the defense of embattled City Administrator Josh VanLieshout during the meeting of the Sturgeon Bay City Council Tuesday evening. The council, led by alder-person Kelly Catarozoli, has made it plain that they want VanLieshout to go, although the reasons are murky at best. Mayor Thad Birmingham wanted to get to the bottom of the new council’s unhappiness with VanLieshout by including an item on the agenda dealing with the City Administrator position, contract and terms. However, Catarozoli said the matter belonged behind closed doors and made a motion to that effect which was approved on a majority vote. The matter will be brought back in two weeks for discussion during an executive session. During open discussion, the majority of speakers credited VanLieshout for his community involvement, his openess and willingness to help, and, faulted decision-making based on single issue politics. For his part, VanLieshout thanked those who spoke on his behalf, noting that he had not asked anyone to address the council. He said he was humbled by the support he has received from city residents.
