GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An initial hearing has been scheduled for a resident complaint filed with the City of Green Bay against Mayor Eric Genrich.
The city’s Ethics Board will hold the initial hearing next Tuesday, December 14th, at 5 p.m. according to Interim City Attorney Joanne Bungert.
Kimber Rollins, a Green Bay resident, filed the complaint against Genrich on November 4th, alleging he violated the City of Green Bay Code of Conduct.
The complaint states Genrich mishandled the November 2020 election by allowing a non-resident to run central count operations. Rollins argues allowing a non-resident to run central count is a violation of Wisconsin Statutes.
The hearing comes as former state Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman has filed a petition with the circuit court to have Genrich participate in a deposition as part of an investigation of the November 2020 election that is supported by Wisconsin Assembly Republicans.
A scheduling hearing on Gableman’s petition is scheduled for Thursday, December 9th.
Genrich and other city officials have faced accusations of mishandling the election since it was held on November 3, 2020. The city has maintained a stance that it did nothing wrong and the election was a great success considering the circumstances of the pandemic.
Rollins’ complaint is separate from the complaint five residents filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission in April. That complaint outlined similar allegations about the November 2020 election. There has been no resolution to the complaint.
Bungert tells FOX 11 the Ethics Board will also address complaints on December 14th filed against Genrich and some members of the city council that have to do with a December 1, 2020 city council meeting.
Brenda Staudenmaier and other residents filed complaints about the council not allowing public discussion on taking fluoride out of the city’s drinking water, according to Bungert. A city committee heard hours of public debate on the matter. The committee took no action.
According to the city’s Code of Conduct, the individual who had the complaint filed against them can use an Ethics Board evidentiary hearing to “show cause as to why the individual should not be subject to penalties and sanctions.”
The code states if the person denies the complaint, both sides may produce witnesses, cross-examine witnesses, and be represented by counsel.
It is unclear whether evidentiary hearings will be held at the December 14th meeting, or if that meeting will be used to schedule evidentiary hearings.
After the hearing, the Ethics Board can deliberate in open or closed session and must submit a report to the city council including findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a recommendation as to what action, if any, the council should take. The complainant or the person charged may file an objection to the report and shall have the opportunity to present arguments supporting the objection to the council.
The council must consider and take action on the Ethics Board recommendation within 60 days after the hearing.
Potential penalties listed in the city’s code of conduct include informal censure, a formal censure, mandatory community service, counseling or mediation, a fine up to $500, or any other sanction available by law.
Any penalty the council issues must receive support from 3/4 of the council.
Half of the council has already expressed confidence in the city’s handling of the election through a resolution in May.
