An FCN investigation into Mayor John Nelson’s political hiring, the bypassed 13 qualified candidates, and the cost to Franklin’s taxpayers and transparency.
By Dr. Richard A. Busalacchi | Franklin Community News
🏛️ Introduction
When Franklin residents elected John Nelson as mayor, they were promised integrity, transparency, and professional leadership.
Instead, the administration’s earliest acts reveal something else entirely — a culture of political favoritism, selective openness, and administrative deceit.
As Franklin Community News first reported in March 2023, Nelson had already identified Kelly Hersh, his campaign confidante and political ally, as his choice for Director of Administration, one of the city’s most powerful appointed offices.
This investigation confirms that Nelson bypassed a professional search process, rewarded a political operative, and then obstructed access to the very records documenting how it happened.
🕓 A Halted Process — and a New Direction
Before Franklin’s 2023 mayoral transition, outgoing Mayor Steve Olson had already advanced the Director of Administration recruitment to its final stages. Working with Public Administration Associates (PAA), the City completed Zoom interviews with two vetted finalists — Tim Wellnitz and Kathryn Kasper — both with substantial municipal management backgrounds.
PAA had provided the recorded interviews and screening documentation to Olson and Human Resources Director Dana Zahn, and a decision appeared imminent. But Olson chose restraint. In an email exchange with consultant Chris Swartz, Olson stated that he was placing the final stage of hiring on hold “out of respect for the election and the incoming administration.”
For weeks, the process sat dormant. Olson left office without filling the role — a deliberate act of deference meant to allow the next mayor to make the appointment transparently.
When Mayor John Nelson took office, that transparency evaporated. Rather than continuing the professional process and reconsidering the vetted finalists, Nelson disregarded PAA’s recruitment entirely, and instead advanced Kelly Hersh, a political ally who had worked closely with his campaign, to one of Franklin’s most powerful unelected positions.
The contrast could not be sharper: Olson paused a lawful, merit-based search to protect institutional integrity. Nelson restarted it as a political appointment.
⚖️ A Non-Political Position Politicized
The position of Director of Administration was never meant to serve a political master.
Created by ordinance to provide continuity, fiscal oversight, and legal compliance across administrations, the Director functions as Franklin’s chief executive officer — an unelected professional bound to the rule of law, not the mayor’s political interests.
Under ordinary circumstances, the role acts as a stabilizer between election cycles, ensuring that budgeting, labor negotiations, and intergovernmental coordination proceed smoothly regardless of who holds the mayor’s office. The Director’s duty is to the residents, not to party allies or campaign donors.
But when John Nelson won the 2023 mayoral election, that balance collapsed.
From the first days of the transition, Nelson treated the position not as a civil service role, but as a political appointment to reward loyalty.
Multiple sources inside City Hall confirmed that Nelson’s campaign team — including close supporters like Grant Johnson — openly discussed replacing the outgoing Director with “someone the mayor can trust.” That “someone” was Kelly Hersh, a longtime political associate who had managed social media and messaging for Nelson’s campaign.
Emails and text exchanges obtained by FCN show Nelson discussing “next steps for Kelly” weeks before he was sworn in.
By the time outgoing Mayor Steve Olson initiated the professional search through Public Administration Associates (PAA), Nelson had already told allies privately that Hersh “will be the Director.”
In one internal message reviewed by FCN, a staff member wrote that the professional hiring process “seems unnecessary if the new mayor has already made up his mind.”
That sentiment proved prophetic.
By April, Nelson had bypassed the vetted applicant pool of 13 qualified candidates — including several experienced municipal administrators — and personally directed HR to halt interviews. Within days, Hersh was selected without public posting, without council discussion, and without evidence that she met even the minimum education or experience requirements.
The symbolism could not be clearer.
A position designed to insulate city governance from politics had become a reward for political service.
Where previous Directors were hired for credentials in finance, HR, and public administration, Nelson’s appointee brought none of those qualifications — but possessed the one credential that mattered most in the new Franklin: political loyalty.
“It’s not just that the process was short-circuited,” said one former official who participated in earlier recruitments. “It’s that the entire spirit of the position — neutrality, professionalism — was thrown away in favor of control.”
By politicizing the Director of Administration, Nelson dismantled the firewall meant to keep government honest and accountable.
The consequences would reverberate through nearly every aspect of Franklin’s operations — from open-records compliance to development approvals — setting the stage for the secrecy and misconduct that followed.
🧩 Political Interference and Hersh’s Selection
Emails reveal that political influence entered the hiring process long before Nelson’s swearing-in.
On April 6, 2023, HR Director Dana Zahn forwarded confidential recruitment materials from Public Administration Associates (PAA) to Nelson’s personal Gmail account, including résumés and interview notes — weeks before the consultant had completed its formal review.
By April 10, Zahn emailed PAA indicating that “the Mayor may pursue speaking with one of the candidates directly.” This instruction effectively bypassed PAA’s impartial evaluation and introduced the new mayor into a process meant to remain professional and nonpartisan.
The timeline accelerated once Nelson took office. On April 19, 2023, Zahn wrote to Hersh:
“Mayor Nelson and I did discuss that the Common Council may require you to attend workshops or conferences to gain knowledge in areas where you may not yet have experience… because I don’t have your résumé.”
(Email: Zahn to Hersh, Apr. 18, 2023)
Hersh accepted the position before her résumé was even submitted.
The official job posting was quietly removed from the city website days later, despite the fact that PAA had already presented 13 qualified finalists.
🔸 Highlighted Fact:
🧾 Thirteen qualified candidates were interviewed and vetted by Public Administration Associates — yet all were bypassed in favor of a political insider without the required credentials.
(Source: PAA Candidate Evaluation Files, 2023)
When the hiring was finalized, the offer addendum, dated May 5, 2023, included a rare one-year “probationary waiver,” eliminating removal protections under Wis. Stat. § 17.12(1) — a move legal experts called “extraordinary” and “administratively indefensible.”
The hiring process was no longer about professional qualifications; it was about political loyalty.
🧱 A Direct Conflict with the Public Trust
Once installed, Hersh’s role blurred every boundary between political operations and city administration.
Internal emails show her copied on political strategy discussions involving Supervisors Steve Taylor and Michelle Eichmann, and developer Mike Zimmerman — despite no formal connection between those entities and her administrative duties.
In one March 2024 correspondence about an open records request, Hersh told City Clerk Shirley Roberts:
“If I have any records, Jim’s query will capture them.”
(Email, March 5, 2024, DOC031424-03142024144209.pdf)
Nelson’s follow-up limited the search to “City of Franklin domain only,” a restriction that excluded personal and campaign-related accounts. Under Wis. Stat. § 19.31–19.37, such narrowing violates the spirit of Wisconsin’s open records law.
By shielding her communications from full disclosure, Hersh effectively acted as both record custodian and record gatekeeper — the same conflict of interest Franklin’s Director of Administration is supposed to prevent.
Public administration experts contacted by FCN called this dual role “a textbook violation of trust.”
It placed political convenience above public accountability.
🏗️ Bypassing City Code and Due Process
The 2012 Director of Administration job specification describes the role as one who “assures that all City ordinances and resolutions are efficiently and equally administered.”
It also requires “demonstrated experience as the chief negotiator in collective bargaining.”
Hersh had neither.
Former Planning Manager Laurie Miller — a respected city employee — warned Nelson and Hersh in an August 2023 internal email that their conduct was eroding lawful procedure:
“This continuous culture of contacting the Mayor/City Admin to fight staff on items required by the code/statute… gives the notion you can strong-arm staff into approving things that do not meet code.”
(Email from Miller to Nelson and Hersh, Aug. 2023)
Documents reviewed by FCN confirm Miller’s concerns. Staff were pressured to fast-track approvals for politically connected developers, including projects associated with The Rock Sports Complex.
At least two employees told FCN that Hersh personally directed them to “find a workaround” to staff objections.
Such conduct violates Franklin Municipal Code § 15-1.0101, which requires that all building, zoning, and development decisions conform to state law. It also raises red flags under Wis. Stat. § 946.12 (Misconduct in Public Office) — particularly subsections (2) and (3), covering unauthorized actions and dereliction of duty.
🚨 UPDATE — Bypassing the Personnel Committee: Holpfer Raises Alarm
Editor’s Note: This section was added as part of FCN’s ongoing investigation into the Director of Administration hiring process. (Updated October 13, 2025)
The paper trail shows that the City’s own process — and its Personnel Committee — were bypassed in the appointment of Kelly Hersh.
On April 20, 2023, then Alderman Ed Holpfer raised concerns after receiving an email from resident Grant Johnson urging him to “support hiring Kelly Hersh” for the Director of Administration role. The lobbying came before the Council had been briefed or the position had been publicly noticed for appointment.
“As of this time, I have received no communication from the Mayor regarding any decision he may have made in the matter,” Holpfer wrote. “It has been my understanding that personnel and hiring related information is to be held in confidence.”
In response, HR Director Dana Zahn acknowledged that personnel matters were indeed to remain confidential, stating that she had not released Hersh’s name and that she did not know how Johnson learned of it. Zahn added that Hersh’s confirmation was expected on the May 2 Council agenda, confirming that the Mayor’s selection was moving forward without Personnel Committee review.
The exchange made clear that both the confidentiality of the hiring process and the role of the Personnel Committee had been undermined. Holpfer’s concern — that the committee and Council were being bypassed — went unanswered.
Sidebar: A resident lobbied aldermen to support Hersh’s appointment before the Personnel Committee or Common Council had been informed — a breach of process that even city staff could not explain.
🧾 Unqualified from the Start: Hersh’s Credentials Under Review
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Job Requirement
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Hersh’s Background
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Result
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Bachelor’s degree in Public or Business Administration (Master’s preferred)
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B.A. in Communications
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❌ Not Met
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Minimum five years of municipal management experience
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None
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❌ Not Met
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Demonstrated experience in labor relations, budgeting, and public finance
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No documented experience in any of these areas
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❌ Not Met
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Proven ability as chief negotiator in collective bargaining
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No record of collective bargaining or HR negotiation
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❌ Not Met
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Experience with intergovernmental relations and code administration
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No municipal or intergovernmental employment history
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❌ Not Met
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Source: City of Franklin Director of Administration Position Profile (2023); PAA Candidate Evaluation Files.
The Hiring Timeline and Interview Process:
According to consultant correspondence, two finalists — Tim Wellnitz and Kathryn Kasper — were interviewed via Zoom by a small review group including Mayor Steve Olson and HR Manager Dana Zahn, with materials prepared by Public Administration Associates (PAA). While emails confirm those interviews occurred on March 8, 2023, the City later claimed it had “no record” of who served on the interview committee, effectively erasing documentation of who participated in the selection discussions before the process was halted “out of respect for the incoming administration.”
Neither of the two qualified finalists were approved for hire once Mayor Nelson took office. Instead, Nelson bypassed both candidates and the professional recruitment process entirely, appointing Kelly Hersh, who did not meet the minimum qualifications listed in the official job posting for the Director of Administration position.
Despite these deficiencies, Nelson forwarded Hersh’s appointment to the Common Council, bypassing both PAA’s recommended candidates and the City’s established hiring process.
🧮 Financial Impact / Salary Detail
According to the City of Franklin Offer Addendum between the City and Kelly Hersh, dated May 5, 2023, Hersh was hired as Director of Administration at an annualized starting salary of $124,000, with an automatic increase to $128,000 after completing a one-year probationary period ending May 4, 2024 .
This rate sits near the top of the advertised $120,000 – $140,000 DOQ range in the official Position Announcement —despite Hersh lacking the listed educational and municipal experience requirements.
By comparison, prior directors and similarly graded administrators were typically compensated below $120,000, suggesting Hersh’s starting pay exceeded the city’s standard entry scale by roughly $10,000–$15,000. Including benefits, payroll documents indicate a total first-year taxpayer cost approaching $170,000.
Source Documents: City of Franklin Offer Addendum (2023) and Director of Administration Position Announcement (2023).
Unapproved Raises and Salary Growth:
City payroll records show that after her initial appointment, Hersh received a series of raises — including a $5,000 merit increase authorized solely by Mayor Nelson, without Common Council approval. Subsequent across-the-board adjustments were calculated on top of that figure, and when her probationary hold was later released, her annual salary exceeded $133,000.
The pattern raises questions about whether Nelson’s discretionary authority was properly applied — and whether the Council’s oversight role in compensation decisions was bypassed.
💸 Taxpayers Paid for a Process That Was Ignored
The City of Franklin paid Public Administration Associates (PAA) nearly $9,500 for the Director of Administration recruitment — including advertising, candidate screening, and interviews with 13 qualified applicants. Records obtained by FCN show the final invoice dated May 9, 2023, was paid shortly before Mayor Nelson took office.
Despite that taxpayer investment, the professional search was effectively discarded. Nelson bypassed the vetted finalists and instead appointed Hersh, a political insider, without Council deliberation or public disclosure.
Between the recruitment fee, staff time spent processing open records requests, and Hersh’s escalating compensation, Franklin residents have paid more than $10,000 in direct costs before her first day in office — not counting the ongoing salary inflation described above.
🏢 The Rock Meetings and Public Deception
According to Wisconsin Right Now, Hersh attended a closed “emergency meeting” with Nelson, developer Mike Zimmerman, and Alderman Jason Craig regarding The Rock controversy:
“Hersh appeared to be helping the Rock with PR advice, telling participants that the city could manage public relations but needed to know ‘what the Rock’s developers were comfortable with the city including in public relations materials.’”
(Wisconsin Right Now, Sept. 26, 2023)
During this meeting, participants mocked concerned residents and supervisors as “idiots” and “terrorists.”
Rather than protecting Franklin’s residents, Hersh and Nelson appeared to coordinate messaging to protect developers.
🔍 Transparency vs. Secrecy
The Nelson administration has made “transparency” its favorite talking point — but only when convenient.
Behind the slogan lies a pattern of selective disclosure, carefully timed leaks, and deliberate obstruction.
In public meetings, Director of Administration Kelly Hersh frequently invokes transparency as a guiding principle.
At the June 3, 2025 Common Council meeting, she supported releasing limited attorney-client materials related to the Andrew Pelkey open-records request.
“The City should be as transparent as possible with the residents it serves,” Hersh said, echoing language that would later appear in a city press release.
(Franklin Common Council Minutes, June 3, 2025)
The Council — including Hersh, Mayor Nelson, and City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski — then voted unanimously to release those materials under Wis. Stat. § 19.356, touting the action as a victory for open government.
Yet while the administration preached transparency in theory, it practiced secrecy in reality.
During that same month, Franklin was withholding Hersh’s own hiring records, including résumés, interview notes, and consultant evaluations — materials the Wisconsin Department of Justice explicitly defines as public once a hiring decision is made.
The inconsistency didn’t end there.
Just weeks later, Hersh denied a record request for correspondence with The Rock Sports Complex, claiming the records were “not readily retrievable.”
But a metadata audit of the city’s Intradyn archiving system showed those files existed — clearly indexed, timestamped, and recoverable.
“It’s transparency by press release,” said one city employee. “They release what makes them look good and bury what doesn’t.”
Hersh’s selective openness also extended to closed sessions.
Since Nelson’s inauguration, the administration has invoked the Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(g) “litigation exemption” more than any prior Franklin administration — often for matters that were not tied to litigation at all.
Records reviewed by FCN show at least 12 closed sessions in 2024 concerning personnel, ethics, or administrative issues that could have been discussed publicly.
At the June 17, 2025 Common Council meeting, Hersh once again invoked “transparency,” but this time to justify withholding another category of records — arguing that “ongoing administrative matters” required confidentiality.
Transparency in Nelson’s administration became conditional — celebrated when it benefited them, withheld when it did not.
For employees, it created a chilling effect: several told FCN they now “think twice” before saving or emailing sensitive communications.
For residents, it turned open government into performance art.
“A government that decides when it will be transparent,” said Busalacchi, “isn’t transparent at all — it’s manipulative.”
📂 The Fight for Public Records
Few issues expose the hypocrisy of Franklin’s leadership more clearly than its handling of public records.
Between May and July 2023, Franklin Community News filed a series of open records requests seeking documents related to Hersh’s hiring — including résumés of all applicants, interview notes from Public Administration Associates (PAA), internal communications between the mayor’s office and HR, and evaluations or recommendations.
Despite clear obligations under Wisconsin’s Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.37), city officials delayed for weeks. Requests were marked “in review” or “under legal consideration.” When records finally arrived, they were incomplete.
Attachments were missing, timestamps truncated, and several key messages appeared only after whistleblowers confirmed their existence.
On May 1, 2023, HR Director Dana Zahn wrote:
“None of the 13 applicants are subject to disclosure as finalists.”
(Email from Zahn to City Clerk Shirley Roberts, May 1, 2023)
That statement was false.
Under Wisconsin’s open records standards, once interviews have occurred, finalist names and résumés must be released.
City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski doubled down a month later, citing “ongoing administrative considerations” — an excuse the DOJ has rejected repeatedly since 2010.
“They’ve turned transparency into a waiting game,” said Busalacchi. “Delay long enough, redact enough, and hope the story dies. That’s not compliance; that’s concealment.”
(Interview, FCN, July 2025)
Only after FCN threatened to file a writ of mandamus in Milwaukee County Circuit Court did the city release additional emails — still incomplete. Among the newly released documents were the April 18 email between Zahn and Hersh confirming no résumé on file and early correspondence showing Nelson’s personal involvement before his term began.
Even today, several attachments remain missing from the record set.
Internal metadata from the Intradyn archive identifies two withheld files last modified on April 9, 2023 — both related to “PAA recommendations.”
The city’s failure to disclose complete records violates both the letter and spirit of Wisconsin’s transparency laws.
More importantly, it reveals how far Franklin’s leadership has strayed from the ethical obligations they once championed.
“Transparency is not a privilege granted by government,” said Busalacchi. “It’s the public’s legal right — and Franklin officials have forgotten that.”
📊 Sidebar: Key Facts
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Date
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Event
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Jan 2023
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PAA hired to conduct national search for Director of Administration
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Apr 2023
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Nelson intervenes in hiring; Hersh contacted before process ends
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May 2023
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Offer issued to Hersh; job posting removed
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Jun 2023
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City withholds hiring records
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Jun 2025
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Hersh speaks on “transparency” at Council meeting
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Jul 2025
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FCN threatens writ to compel record release |
💡 Restoring Clean and Transparent Government in Franklin
The Director of Administration is supposed to embody competence, neutrality, and accountability.
Instead, the position became a political prize — handed out to an ally who lacked the minimum qualifications and shielded from public scrutiny.
The solution isn’t complicated.
Franklin needs an independent ethics review, mandatory disclosure of hiring materials, and a reaffirmation that professional appointments must be based on merit, not loyalty.
A government that hides behind procedure to avoid accountability cannot function for its people.
The only way forward is to restore the foundational principles that once made Franklin’s administration respected: honesty, professionalism, and public trust.
🗳️ It’s Time for the Common Council to Stand Up for Clean Government
The Common Council has both the power and the responsibility to correct this.
It must demand full disclosure of every document related to Hersh’s hiring and order an independent audit of administrative practices under Nelson’s tenure.
Failure to do so makes the Council complicit in the erosion of Franklin’s integrity.
Franklin’s residents expect better.
Council members are elected to represent the people — not to shield political allies from accountability.
Reforming the city’s administrative culture begins with acknowledging what went wrong and taking meaningful action to fix it.
🌟 Editorial: The Greater Good
Franklin’s motto, “Celebrating the Quality of Life,” has always stood for unity and civic pride.
But unity cannot survive where accountability has vanished.
Mayor Nelson’s administration has blurred the lines between public service and personal loyalty.
From the politicized appointment of Hersh to the concealment of hiring records and selective openness on transparency, Franklin’s government has abandoned its ethical compass.
Rebuilding that trust will not come from words, but from deeds — from city officials who understand that public office is a public trust, not a political franchise.
“For the greater good,” Busalacchi wrote in a recent editorial, “means remembering that the residents of Franklin — not the officeholders — are the true owners of city government.”
It’s time for city leadership to remember that quality of life begins with honest government, transparent decisions, and respect for the people they serve.
Franklin deserves that standard once again.
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Together, we can keep local government honest, transparent, and accountable
— for the greater good.
