Joanne Suomi at an April County Board meeting. (City-Times photo)

By Patrick Lynn and Brandi Makuski

Joanne Suomi on Wednesday confirmed she was resigning from her position as County Board Supervisor effective August 10.

Suomi is serving her second term on the County Board, but said due to an unexpected health issue, she felt it wasn’t fair to her county constituents to continue serving in that capacity.

“I had to cut my workload in half. I just had to,” Suomi said Thursday morning. “The 10 to 12 meetings each week, it was just real hard. But it was also real hard to make the decision, but it’s one I had to make to keep myself and my family healthy.”

Suomi is also serving her second term on the Stevens Point City Council- a job she says she hopes won’t be affected by her health issues, as she said it’s easier to stay on top of city business.

“The city meetings are all taped so it’s easy to get the information, whereas the county makes it harder to stay connected because they don’t tape committee meetings,” she said. “I felt there was more information available on the city level, and so that’s where I need my energy and effort.”

Suomi said her city constituents can trust she’s still up to her job as alderwoman.

“In order to do that, that’s why I had to cut my elected official duties with the county, so I could continue with the city,” she said. “I told the mayor if I ever couldn’t hold up my end of the stick, to let me know. But I’m assuring my constituents that won’t be the case- if it does come down to me not being able to handle my share of the workload, I would be the first one to step forward and admit it’s time to step down.”

Suomi said she’s still available “24/7” to her city constituents, and to her county constituents until her resignation from the county takes effect in August.

Suomi is serving her second term with the city and was first elected to the County Board in 2012, having been reelected in April. The Portage Co. Executive/Operations Committee will determine how to fill Suomi’s vacancy next week.