Wausau City Hall. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Ethics Board has voted to investigate a complaint filed against Mayor Doug Diny regarding his handling of a locked, unsecured drop box placed outside City Hall.
Wednesday’s vote indicated a “determination of sufficiency” for evidence presented in the complaint and does not serve as an endorsement. Attorney Eric Larson of Waukesha-based Municipal Law and Litigation Group noted that the goal is to get facts so the board can determine probable cause. “All we need are [the] facts that will help us make our probable cause determination,” said Larson. “We are still [in the] preliminary [stages] and we are working toward a second preliminary step. I think we need to be very clear.
Larson added that Wednesday’s meeting was to determine if the board had jurisdiction over the complaint.
The Board also voted to collect evidence from the Mayor, City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde, and City Attorney Ann Jacobson. All will receive requests for that information in the coming weeks and must provide it two weeks later.
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No further action was immediately scheduled.
Board member Kay Palmer recused herself from all discussion and decision-making on the complaint due to her association with the League of Women Voters, saying she would not “be an unbiased participant in the hearing of this complaint.”
Alternate member Jesse Kearns then took Palmer’s place for the discussion.
The Board also elected a new Chair, with Calvin Dexter running for the seat unopposed. Douglas Hosler will remain as Vice-Chair.
During the discussion, which lasted well over an hour, Hosler added that he received a phone call from Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul earlier in the day. “He called me for money for a campaign,” said Hosler, which drew some laughs from the board.
Hosler went on to say that he asked Kaul about the state investigation into the matter. “I said ‘Now that I’ve got you on the phone, this is what I’m interested in.’ He said ‘I can talk about political things but I cannot talk about that case. The only person who can talk about that case with us is an attorney.'”
Attorney Larson then confirmed that he had spoken with the investigator handling the Department of Justice probe into the incident, adding “their investigation is not complete.”
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