By Cassie Lennox

The City of Stevens Point is asking Portage County officials to look into the county Emergency Management director’s recent conduct related to his role in overseeing the countywide emergency services program.

The city Police and Fire Commission (PFC) sent a letter Wednesday, Nov. 8, to County Executive Patty Dreier asking for her and the county Emergency Management Services (EMS) Oversight Board to revisit whether Director Joe Brandt has a conflict of interest as it relates to his duties and the relationship with Ascension St. Michael’s Hospital for medical director services.

“At its core, our partnership is based upon trust between City and County staff. Unfortunately, Director Brandt’s actions over the past 11 months have strained that trust to the breaking point,” Gary Wescott, chair of PFC, said in the letter.

“Mr. Brandt’s conduct over recent months has, in the view of the PFC, risen to a violation of Portage County’s Code of Ethics…This conflict has eroded City staff’s ability to trust that Mr. Brandt is conducting his duties based on professional judgment rather than personal animus toward the Stevens Point Fire Department (SPFD),” Wescott said in the letter.

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