Dailey resigns after county board elects Young as next CVSO 

A major personnel change is coming to the Oneida County Veterans Service Office after the county board of supervisors on Tuesday chose newcomer Matthew Young, rather than longtime assistant CVSO Jason Dailey, to succeed retiring CVSO Tammy Javenkoski.

A County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) is a trained, accredited professional who helps veterans, their families, and survivors navigate complex federal, state, and local benefit systems. They act as a free, local liaison to the VA, assisting with filing disability claims, securing pensions, educational benefits, and healthcare, while also guiding them through appeal processes.

Young was chosen despite an outcry from a group of local veterans who attended the meeting in support of Dailey, who has worked alongside Javenkoski for more than a decade. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, a day after the county board selected Young, Dailey confirmed to the Star Journal that he has tendered his resignation and will leave with Javenkoski on Feb. 27.  Young’s election, by a slim majority of 12-9, followed an emotional and contentious public comment period in which veterans and advocates expressed confusion over the hiring committee’s actions. During the meeting it was explained that a five-member hiring panel — which included county administrator Tracy Hartman, Human Services Committee chair Robb Jensen, county board member Dan Hess, along with Brian Jopek and Mark Espeseth of the Veterans Service Commission — interviewed five candidates after screening nine applications. A majority of the panel recommended Young, with the two Veterans Service Commission members preferring Dailey. The Human Services Committee then voted unanimously to forward Young's nomination to the full county board. Under state statute, the CVSO is elected by the county board, which also retains the ability to nominate additional candidates.

Supervisor Newman nominated Dailey from the floor before the vote was held.

An unexpected voice and a sharp rebuttal

The public comment period opened with remarks from Brian Thomas, the Vilas County Veterans Service Officer and an Air Force veteran, who congratulated Young on his selection but used much of his time to air grievances about what he described as years of poor collaboration from the Oneida County office.

Thomas said it had been "extremely difficult" to work with the Oneida County Veterans Service Office since he took the Vilas County position in 2019, and singled out Dailey as someone who had been "especially difficult to work with" and had "generally avoided" outreach events and fundraisers the two counties had undertaken to assist veterans in need. Thomas also disclosed that he had considered applying for the Oneida County CVSO position himself but ultimately decided against it, citing the prospect of "unnecessary drama and difficulties during this transition." He closed by offering his full support to Young and pledging cooperation going forward.

Javenkoski, who spoke later in the public comment period, addressed Thomas's remarks directly and pointedly. "I'm not going to dignify Brian Thomas's lies with a response," she told the board, before inviting Thomas to visit her office if he wished to discuss the matter. She did not elaborate on which specific claims she was disputing.

The exchange added an unusual dimension to the proceedings, with the incoming CVSO receiving an early public endorsement from a neighboring county's veteran services office at the same meeting where the outgoing CVSO publicly disputed that officer's characterization of her department.

Veterans Speak Out

The public comment period was dominated by veterans and their advocates who repeatedly questioned why the board would pass over a candidate who is already accredited by the Veterans Administration and has spent more than a decade in the office.

"Jason is qualified, people. Mr. Young is not," said Brian Jopek, chairman of the Oneida County Veterans Service Commission, who noted that neither he nor his fellow commission member (Espeseth) had chosen Young as their first preference. "I can't see the Oneida County Board hiring somebody who is not qualified for a position like this."

For her part, Javenkoski noted that she was not consulted during the interview process despite being Dailey's direct supervisor for his entire tenure. She described Dailey as an indispensable partner who had taken on department head responsibilities — including the annual budget, CVSO grant and annual report — in the past year.

"There is literally no one in this world that knows better than I who would be best to succeed me," she told the board. "Yet I was not allowed to sit on the interview board, nor was I asked for my opinion."

Presciently, she also warned the board that Dailey might not remain in the office if not selected for the top position, meaning Oneida County could lose both its outgoing and current officers simultaneously when she retires. "It will be years before that office is up to the current standards," she said.

Several speakers raised questions about whether bypassing the most qualified candidate violated county ordinance. Michelle Bennett, wife of local attorney and U.S. Navy veteran Brian Bennett, cited county ordinances requiring the county to "make every effort to hire the most qualified individual for any vacant position," and noted that Young, unlike Dailey, is not currently accredited by the VA — a process that can take six months or more and carries a pass rate of only 20 to 40 percent.

Bennett followed his wife to the podium and expressed similar sentiments. In particular, he questioned why the Human Services Committee members had chosen to ignore the input of Jopek and Espeseth. 

“Why do we have a Veterans Commission if their input can be dismissed that easily?” he asked. He also referenced another contentious debate, back in 2015, when the county administration tried and failed to terminate Javenkoski’s employment. 

“For those of you who were on this board in 2015 who supported Tammy back then, we ask for your support again,” Bennett said. “You trusted her judgement then, trust her judgement now.”

Pearl Fessenden, an Army veteran of 20 years, noted that the CVSO position is unlike any other in government as many veterans who need services have been impacted by trauma related to their military service and may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

She said she has relied on Dailey’s help in navigating the complicated VA system and he has shown himself to be someone local veterans can trust.

The Hiring Panel's Defense

Jensen, who chaired the hiring panel, acknowledged that the two Veterans Service Commission members on the panel had preferred Dailey, but said Young was considered an “acceptable” candidate by all five members. He characterized Young's accreditation as obtainable on the job, saying it was his understanding that receiving accreditation after being hired is standard practice.

Jensen and fellow panel member Hess — who said he chose Young as his top candidate — both emphasized that the CVSO position requires not only technical skills but also leadership, communication and the ability to work within county governance structures.

"I chose Matthew Young as the number one candidate," Hess said. "He meets all the criteria, and I think he would provide excellence for our veterans."

Young, a 23-year Army veteran who served in the European Theater and completed two combat deployments to Iraq before retiring to Rhinelander, told the board he believed in his ability to learn the role and said he remained available to speak with anyone who had questions or concerns.

Dailey, who had to be summoned from his office to address the board, spoke briefly and emotionally about his decade in the office. "My veterans are some of the most important people in this world," he said, adding that he holds every available accreditation in Wisconsin for a veterans service officer. "I love my vets. I want to make sure they're taken care of."

Before the vote was cast, a motion was made to conduct the election by open roll call rather than written ballot. Several supervisors indicated a voice vote would be more transparent than  the written ballot procedure announced by the board chairman.

The supervisors who voted for Young were: Robb Jensen, Dan Hess, Scott Holewinski, Debbie Condado, Billy Fried, Michael Tautges, Greg Oettinger, Mitchell Ives, Bob Almekinder, Collette Sorgel, Robert Briggs and Ted Cushing. The supervisors who voted for Dailey were: Kris Hanus, Steven Schreier, Linnaea Newman, Russ Fisher, Connor Showalter, Kyle Timmons, Chris Schultz and Wayne Kulhanek.

The public is strongly encouraged to view the full discussion. County board meetings are available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@oneidacountyboardwi).