Wausau Alder Deb Ryan. Image courtesy: City of Wausau
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The member of the Wausau City Council facing a complaint before the Wausau Ethics Board has answered the complaint through her attorney. She denies any wrongdoing and all of the allegations.
Deb Ryan is facing the charge from Marathon County Board member William Harris. Harris says that Ryan defamed him by accusing him of helping draw up the Wausau Community For All Resolution in an illegal manner. He also claims that Ryan called his place of employment, Wisconsin Judicare to try and get Harris fired.
In a letter to the Ethics Board from Attorney Brandon O’ Connor, who is representing Ryan in the matter, O’Connor says that Ryan “denies that she knowingly and falsely accused Harris of an illegal act in a public way that caused meaningful damage to his reputation”.
O’Connor also says that Ryan, “disputes the characteriztion of the phone call to the Executive Diractor of Wisconsin Judicare as being an attempt to get Harris fired.” She claims that the call was “out of concern for the Judicare Organization.”
The letter also states that “Ryan is not the source of the allegation that Harris was involved in the drafting of the Community For All Resolution saying that she was repeating information she believed was from a credible source in private conversation.”
The letter also says that “the timing of the complaint, filed to coincide with the spring elections, betrays it’s obvious political motive” and that “months of repeated threats of legal action have been a consatnt source of stress for a single, elderly lady of modest financial means”.
The Board had given Ryan a chance to respond to the allegations. They are scheduled to meet on the matter March 14th.
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