Wausau Mayor Doug Diny moving an absentee ballot dropbox. Image courtesy: Doug Diny
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – One week from today Wausau’s Ethics Committee meets.
Make no mistake about what the end-game is: to remove Doug Diny, a duly elected Mayor, from office.
Diny is facing a blatantly false charge that he interfered with voters casting their ballots by removing the absentee ballot drop box from the plaza outside of City Hall.
To review the facts of the case: the dropbox had a lock on it. It was impossible for anyone to place anything inside of it. The dropbox was placed outside before early voting began. And the dropbox was not secured; it wasn’t bolted down to the ground.
The number of people who were denied the opportunity to vote was exactly no one.
Here’s what the Ethics Committee should do: they should rule immediately that there is no violation of anything. The allegation should be dismissed.
Of course, that is not what will happen. There are several members of the Ethics Committee who were appointed by former mayor Katie Rosenberg. To sully the conservative who defeated her will be irresistible. The ethics complaint was manufactured by the liberal Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. They found eight Wausau residents who were willing to lend their names be used as ‘fronts’ for the complaint. Undoubtedly the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign arranged for the lawyer to draft the complaint. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign even distributed the complaint to members of the local media.
Here’s another easy prediction: the long-silent investigation from the state Department of Justice, which has been unheard from for months, will suddenly awaken while the Ethics Board is reviewing this case. Attorney General John Kaul, who will soon be running for governor, will throw more fuel on the fire. Claiming Doug Diny’s scalp would be an enhancement to Kaul’s thin resume for higher office.
I already know what the end-game is. What must you do? A public display of support for the Mayor is necessary. It needs to happen between now and next Wednesday.
Chris Conley
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