That's funny considering she's salary and doesn't get paid OT.

Take a look at the OT from the corornors office. You'll see it isnt corornor Keach doing the work. You would probably see also she isnt at a scene to often either, her deputies do most of the field work.

The county did fix it. And now they want to re-break it. They were right the first time.

If it ain't broke don't fix it. And it ain't broke.

DDoright: Just because we have a decent coroner now, don't forget what happened in the past and the lack of oversight the county had to deal with the problem. Some counties still elect the county surveyor, too...should we go back to that just to keep it in "the hands of the people"??
I stand by my assertion that this position should be hired by the county.

Besides, who other than a professional would want to get up at all ungodly hours to look at dead bodies? And are you saying the Sheriff is not a professional? Point is the people we have are professionals and they were voted in by us. I stand by my position that I want to vote on who serves in this office.

Ask a coroner how much they represent the people when a county board member demands to know why you can't re-use a body bag to save money.

"We can decide for ourselves. I want the right to decide who is in government positions. Does the county board want to change all elected positions to appointed ones?"

No, just the ones that it makes no sense to elect. County board supervisors represent the people and should be elected. But coroner is not a representative position, it's a job. Electing a coroner makes about as much sense as electing the city public works director. It should be a professional hired position.

Well, with whatever they choose, it would be in their best interest to keep Jenifer Keach.

Some misconceptions here.

Coroners are elected by the people. They have jurisidiction over their respective counties. Yes, you only have to be 18 and live in the county. But, people that run for these positions almost always have qualifications. The voters can see that and decide who is the best qualified easily enough. The current coroner is definitely qualified. She was an RN for 13 years and has a degree in Forensic Nursing. I believe there is at present a bill that the Wisconsin Coroners and Medical Examiners (which Ms.Keach is 2nd VP) have at the state level now, promting standards for those positions. There will be set standards for ME's and Coroners. And our current coroner is helping to push for those standards. She is doing a great job, why change it?
Changing to a medical examiner does one thing, it gives the county board power over the office. That's what this seems to be about to me. They get to make all the rules about a position they know nothing about and get to set the standards for the individuals in that office, again something thay know nothing about. They think they can get an ME with the facilities and pay they pay out now? Good luck with that! You won't touch a Dr. for under $100G per year, not to mention the costs for everything else this county doesn't have but will need for an ME. They seem to just want to spend more and more money so they can have control. It's stupid as far as I can see. Dane county has a coroner, most of the counties in the state have coroners. It automatically changes to an ME when the county hits a population of 500,000. Rock has what, 170,000 total? We really dont need to change it to an ME. With the economy the way it is and GM leaving our taxes will have to increase to cover all these things the county wants. Just leave it as is! We can decide for ourselves. I want the right to decide who is in government positions. Does the county board want to change all elected positions to appointed ones? That way we have no say in who represents us? I hope they remember they too were voted in and can be just as easily voted out.

ihavealife,
Why would we have to build a new building if Rock County goes with a Medical Examiner?

Why fix what isn't broke?

This is foolish. Rock County has long grown past the point where we should have a professional medical examiner. I agree that Keach has done a terrific job restoring faith in the office, but this just underlines how variable the competency of an elected coroner can be. I simply don't see what value there is to electing someone to this position on any political basis. Is there a Democratic or Republican way to run a coroner's office? Even if it's non-partisan, what exactly would a candidate pledge to do -- perform the duties according to law, of course, and then?

Whatever the title, you want someone with a medical background. Whatever you have in Rock County is probably not that, I don't think its an issue many people think about or worry about, until it a friend or family member dies and you are faced with how little medical knowledge your coroner has to make their judgement call.

So say no if the "coroner" position allows people to run for it without a medical background.

Loved the first sentence: "The decision of whether Rock County will have a coroner or medical examiner is still on the table."
Too funny, Beth "Quincy" Wheelock!

also, the coroner is the only one in the county who can arrest the sheriff.

coroner: a usually elected public officer whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes
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medical examiner: a public officer who conducts autopsies on bodies to find the cause of death
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don't medical examiners also need to be certified/licensed in forensic science/medicine in addition to their PhD??

Medical examiners -- May have state, district, or county jurisdiction; usually are appointed; usually must be licensed physicians.
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Coroners -- May have district or county jurisdiction, usually are elected, need not be physicians. Usually the only prerequisites for serving as a coroner are that a person be of a minimum age (often 18) and a resident of the county or district .

umm... what exactly is the difference? Who knew checking out dead bodies was such a controversial issue.