Kahler resigns, interim W&L director named
September 8,2009
J. Kraig Kahler has resigned as Columbia’s Water & Light director. City Manager Bill Watkins said today that Water & Light's chief engineer, Michael J. Schmitz, accepted an interim appointment as the new director.
Watkins said that he asked for and accepted Kahler's resignation. "I have no doubts about Kraig's professional integrity and intelligence," Watkins said, "but he is experiencing some difficult family issues at this time. In my opinion, this has affected his focus on the department in a way that is not likely to change in the near future."
Kahler came to Columbia with his family from Texas in July 2009 to run the utilities department. In March, he and his wife had a confrontation over her decision to file for divorce. He was charged with third-degree domestic assault, and a Circuit Court trial on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled to take place on Oct. 21.
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