Kemble represented the northside's District 18 on the City Council from 2015 to 2021 and currently serves on Madison's Food Policy Council. She has also sat on task forces dealing with government structure, police-community relations, and citywide surveillance and public safety data policy. Board members said she was chosen to "preserve the independence, continuity and integrity of civilian oversight in Madison."

The vote follows the City Council's Oct. 21 decision to fire independent monitor Aeiramique Glass, citing personnel matters and job-performance concerns. That firing prompted board member Hope Vang to resign and led Council Chief of Staff Karen Kapusta-Pofahl to take over leadership of the board's operations temporarily, including supervision of the independent monitor office's two staff members. Board members say investigations are currently paused.

City Attorney Michael Haas told the board Monday that Human Resources Director Erin Stenson is unlikely to approve Kemble's appointment because it would conflict with the council's directives. But board chair Devon Snyder said Stenson confirmed the board has the right to appoint an interim monitor. Former chair Maia Pearson said the council's directive does not override the board's function.

"Our council members, the attorneys, the Human Resources Department – we're supposed to be colleagues, and this is definitely not how colleagues work," board member Carlotta Calmese said at Monday's special meeting. "We do know that it is in our purview to appoint. We do know that it is in our purview to supervise." Calmese called Glass's firing "an abomination."

Snyder said the board remains committed to working with the mayor, council, Human Resources and the City Attorney's Office, but that cooperation should not require "silence, compliance, or acceptance of limitations on the board's authority without a clear legal basis."

The stakes are concrete: as of late October, the Office of the Independent Monitor had about 70 open investigations into complaints against city police, according to data analyst Greg Gelembiuk. Board members said complainants are worried about the pace of their cases.

The friction deepened Tuesday at the council's budget hearing, where alders unanimously passed the 2027 executive budget with an additional $50,000 for the monitor's office for contracted caseload management support — but not the full-time data analyst position many community members had requested. Ald. Yannette Figueroa Cole also moved to suspend the oversight board's operations altogether; council members are expected to discuss that proposal at their next meeting on Nov. 24. Figueroa Cole did not respond to an interview request.

Residents at Tuesday's meeting urged the council to reconsider funding for Tasers and body-worn cameras for Madison police, pushed for more money for the independent monitor's office, and asked for greater community involvement before new public safety measures are implemented.

The city has several committees and boards focused on public safety, though some have met infrequently. Council President Sabrina Madison recently formed a workgroup to examine police use of deadly force, de-escalation practices and body-worn cameras. She said it will meet regularly until early next spring, when odd-numbered district alders face reelection, and will deliver a final report, policy recommendations and proposed legislation by late March.

"We don't think that we're going to draft a perfect policy because policies are living documents and they should be updated periodically for improvement," Madison said. "But we're going to do our best to pass something that the community will be satisfied with."

On body-worn cameras, some residents asked the council to delay implementation until policy and independent oversight safeguards are in place, citing privacy, vendor selection, records management and cost concerns. Ald. Noah Lieberman defended moving forward while acknowledging policy work continues.

"The research does show that body-worn cameras for police officers do not reduce the use of force," Lieberman said. "What we can do in this case is make sure that they are a tool for accountability."

Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney, who with Alds. Joann Pritchett and Isadore Knox sponsored an unsuccessful amendment last year to shift $400,000 from the monitor's office to body cameras, said she is pleased the city has reached this point. This fall the Madison Community Foundation announced a $350,000 donation to the police department to roll out cameras citywide next year, fund three full-time staff and cover software startup costs.

"I've received many complaints about not spending that kind of money on body-worn cameras," Harrington-McKinney said. "But the fact is that we are in an age where that is part of the tools we should equip our Madison police officers with."

The board's Community Engagement Subcommittee is scheduled to hold listening sessions this month to hear from residents about what they want police oversight to look like.