The special meeting came after the Common Council terminated former interim monitor Aeiramique Glass and installed Council Chief of Staff Karen Kapusta-Pofahl to supervise the office until a permanent monitor is hired. The PCOB's appointment of Kemble, approved on a board vote, asserts the board's authority under city ordinance to select, appoint and supervise the independent monitor—though the ordinance is silent on interim or provisional appointments.

City Human Resources Director Erin Stenson has told PCOB Chair Devon Snyder and City Attorney Michael Haas that she will not approve Kemble's appointment. "If you want to have a standoff with the Council, go ahead and make your appointment," Haas told the board. "It will not be approved by the HR director."

Despite that warning, the board's resolution directs Kemble to report to city HR Tuesday morning. Kemble said she intends to do so. "Either I'm a new employee or I'm a new plaintiff in a court case," she said after the vote.

The confrontation unfolds against a backdrop of deep frustration among oversight board members over the handling of Glass's termination. PCOB member Carlotta Verge Calmese referenced a memo titled "Employment review" that Haas prepared for the Common Council days before the resolution to terminate Glass was introduced—a document she said was never shared with the board.

"The ordinance is very clear that the independent monitor is supervised, not only recruited, but is supervised by the PCOB," Calmese said. "And I think it was an abomination for the Attorney Haas and other directors to publicly submit letters that they call a 'review,' but in my estimation was a performance review or a sabotage … we are the authority in the supervision of the next independent monitor." She added that concerns about oversight staff should be brought to the board, not to reporters. "What happened to Meeka is an abomination. It was unfair. It was uncalled for. It was very, very, very unkind."

PCOB member Stephanie Rearick questioned the city's commitment to accountability. "I absolutely question Madison's stated commitment to any kind of police accountability and the actions are very consistently undermining us constantly… it needs to stop," she said.

Alder Julia Matthews, who voted against the resolution to terminate Glass, said she had asked Haas before that vote whether the PCOB could still appoint an interim monitor. "I did ask if the wording of our resolution would preclude the PCOB from making a provisional appointment, and at that time we were all told that the HR director has to approve it, but that that's still a process that could happen," Matthews said.

Haas acknowledged the unusual circumstances. "I think everybody has to recognize this is a pretty unique situation," he said.

Kemble, a former alder and one of the principal authors of the ordinances that created the PCOB and the Office of the Independent Monitor, was chosen in part for her deep knowledge of city government. In an email provided to the board, Snyder said Kemble "has an understanding of Madison's municipal structure, how City government operates, and the relevant Administrative Procedure Memoranda (APMs) that guide City operations."

Kemble said she has no intention of seeking the permanent role. "This role that I've agreed to take on right now was not in my life plans," she said. "I saw that my activity in city government was in my past. I agreed to this temporary role because of number one, the family of Corey Ruiz and the family of Tony Robinson and the families of all of the other complainants. They need justice … I am really willing to be that bridge to seal the independence of the Office of the Independent Monitor and the Police Civilian Oversight Board. I am really just here to bridge the way towards the permanent monitor."

If allowed to serve, Kemble said she would focus on "shoring up the internal office policies, procedures, ensuring that investigations and reviews recommence, supporting the board in whatever way I can, and facilitating the hiring process of a new permanent independent monitor."

Snyder framed the appointment as a defense of the board's authority. "Independence of civilian oversight can't just be something that's just written in the ordinance. It must be protected at all times, and that's what we did through the board's authority tonight," Snyder said.

Kemble praised the board's resolve. "We have a very strong PCOB for the first time ever," she said. "I'm so grateful to them for sticking it out, for being so committed to the community and to the families of the victims of police brutality, and for putting up with so much undermining for years, and tonight they really showed that commitment in the face of a lot of intimidation."

The Common Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a budget amendment that would reallocate the remainder of Glass's salary—about $55,000—to a consultant with the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement for "technical assistance and training." If that amendment passes, it is unclear how Kemble would be compensated. The council is also set to vote Tuesday night on a separate amendment to hire an investigator for the oversight office.

The next community engagement session on hiring a permanent police monitor is scheduled for Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church.