BOARD MEMBER IN HOT WATER AFTER RAVE ON PROPERTY

Meeting Could Decide Chairman's Fate

Ron Drazkowski's position as Buffalo County Board chairman will be on
the line during a special board meeting Tuesday night.

"The feeling is that the chairman we have now should not be in a
position of leadership on the County Board," Supervisor Jim Alf of
Mondovi said.

Drazkowski, in his first term as chairman, came under fire after a
rave party was held on his rural Bluff Siding property over Labor Day
weekend.

Police estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 people attended the event.
Techno music was aired between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and police from
nine agencies made numerous drug arrests.

About 20 people attended last week's county Law Enforcement Committee
meeting, eager to hear about the rave and police intervention. They
were told a discussion would be held at the regular board meeting, set
for Tuesday night.

Drazkowski canceled the board meeting, citing a lack of
agenda.

"I just canceled it because there was a lack of business; there was
only two resolutions or something like that," Drazkowski said Sunday
night.

"If we don't have any business and we have a meeting, it costs the
county $1,000 to do nothing," he said. "There was nothing pressing, so
I postponed the meeting."

However, the meeting will go on as scheduled after 15 County Board
supervisors petitioned to overrule Drazkowski's decision.

"Other supervisors and I thought it was important for these people to
get their questions answered, so we circulated a petition to have the
meeting," Alf said.

State statutes allow supervisors to petition to hold a meeting, and if
enough signatures are collected, those who sign the petition dictate
the agenda, Alf said.

All of the board's 16 supervisors -- except Drazkowski -- signed the
petition, County Administrator Shane Crawford said.

The two items on the agenda are a complete report by the Sheriff's
Department on the rave, and the county board chairman position.

Alf said he sent Drazkowski a letter asking him to
resign.

"There's nothing to resign for because I didn't do anything wrong,"
Drazkowski said. "If I would have done something bad, I would resign.
But I wasn't even involved with planning the party."

If the board votes to hold a new election of officers, it would be
held Tuesday night, Crawford said. It would include voting for the
chairman and vice chairman positions.

Drazkowski, who was paid for the use of his land during the rave, said
he received a few complaints from neighbors, but the events of that
weekend were blown out of proportion.

Supervisor Don Jacquart of Bluff Siding said he was distressed by the
behavior of the board chairman and supported removing him from the
chairman's post.

The Buffalo County Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the county
courthouse in Alma.