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Kathy Bartels
Friday, February 12, 2021 • Vol. 7, No. 12 • Fitchburg, WI • ConnectFitchburg.com • $1
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City of Fitchburg
Inside
Administrator resigns Marsh resigns, avoids inquiry into conduct KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
Church donates 35k pounds of food
first immunization, according to data compiled by the New York Times. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Wisconsin is now leading the nation in the average number of COVID-19 vaccine shots being administered daily — a massive increase that comes as the Evers administration is expanding its rollout to
Fitchburg’s city administrator has resigned, and that has pre-empted an investigation into his conduct. The draft separation agreement with Patrick Marsh after five years with the city was published in the Common Council’s Tuesday, Jan. 12, meeting packet. The Common Council approved its terms Marsh by a vote of 6-0 after a 50-minute closed session, with Ald. Julia Arata-Fratta (Dist. 2) recusing herself and Ald. Joe Maldonado abstaining. There was no discussion by any alders in open session prior to the vote, and Marsh twice declined an invitation to comment despite being present at the meeting. Maldonado told the Star the following day he was not a fan of the options presented to the council in its closed session. Arata-Fratta offered no comment to the Star’s question on Jan. 13. Richardson told the Star on Jan. 8 he was hoping to have a timeline for the hiring process of a new administrator within the same week as the approval of the agreement. In the meantime, Richardson said, city finance director Misty Dodge and director of economic development Mike Zimmerman will work together to fill the city’s top post. Mayor Aaron Richardson told the Star in a phone call Friday, Jan. 8, that Marsh’s resignation came before the city could begin an independent investigation sparked by an arrest in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in late October. He added that the investigation into Marsh’s conduct was intended to focus on behavior not directly related to the arrest, but he didn’t elaborate further. Richardson clarified a week later in an email that Marsh’s resignation “actually had nothing to do” with the incident in South Carolina.” He did not elaborate. Marsh told the Star in a Jan. 15 email that after reading an initial version of the Star’s reporting on the resignation, he believed Richardson had violated the terms of the agreement, which prohibits either Marsh or city officials from disparaging the other. “I want the mayor’s resignation and a public apology in the newspaper,” he wrote. “I will be checking with legal counsel as to whether the mayor’s comments are in violation of the agreement.” Marsh told the Star in a phone
Turn to Vaccine/Page 10
Turn to Resigns/Page 9
Page 2
Schools
Cars line up in the Fitchburg Family Pharmacy parking lot to receive their COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Page 12
‘We will get to everyone’
Amid some delays, vaccine rollout steadily ramps up in city EMILIE HEIDEMANN
Sports
Timeline
Unified Newspaper Group
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Boys swimming: Best, Rozeboom medal at state Page 13
Business
Chef Dave Heide testifies against state assembly bill Page 19
ow that Fitchburgers aged 65 and older can receive their free COVID-19 vaccine, one pharmacy owner said he has a list of “thousands” waiting to get their shots. Thad Schumacher, owner of Fitchburg Family Pharmacy, told the Star that he and staff have set a goal to administer 300 immunizations a week to keep up with the increasing demand. They work 12-hour days, Schumacher said, giving vaccines every five minutes through a curbside service, which the Common Council has since approved to expand. The state Department of Health Services deemed people 65 years of age and older eligible for shots on Jan. 25. In Wisconsin, 87% of people who have died from COVID-19 fall within that age group, state Deputy Health Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said in a media briefing Friday, Jan. 29. While a majority of the patients Schumcher vaccinates are healthcare providers who became eligible Dec. 14, 2020, he advised those waiting they need only remain calm. “The vaccinators are going to vaccinate until there are no more shots,” Schumacher said. “We
Photo by Emilie Heidemann
Staff at Fitchburg Family Pharmacy work 12-hour days to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, the doses for which currently come from Pfizer. A student prepares a vial for a patient Wednesday, Feb. 10.
will get to everyone.” Around the U.S., people deemed eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine are experiencing a similar excitement, with 42,417,617 people receiving shots as of Feb. 9, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of that same day, Wisconsin ranked 11th in the nation and first out of all Midwest states, with 10.3% of its population having been given at least the
Dec. 14: Front line healthcare workers and residents of long term care facilities including nursing homes and assisted living facilities Jan. 18: Fire and police personnel Jan. 25: People 65 years of age and above March 1 (as tentatively planned): People from priority group 1b, including, but not limited to, education and child care staff, those in long-term Medicaid care programs and some public-facing employees
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