Wausau City Hall. MWC file photo.
The Wausau Ethics Board will meet on Wednesday to conduct an initial review of a complaint filed against Mayor Doug Diny.
A group of residents submitted the complaint earlier this year, claiming Diny may have violated state or federal election law by moving a municipal dropbox into his office after noticing it had been left outside city hall, unsecured, over a weekend.
The City Clerk had intended to have the box secured the next week. It was locked with a note saying “Kiosk closed,” but not bolted down to the sidewalk.
A Wisconsin Supreme Court decision from last summer determined that City Clerks could install dropboxes for the return of absentee ballots at their discretion. However, a set of guidelines from the Wisconsin Elections Commission said those boxes should be secured and placed in a well-lit area within the clear sight of a surveillance camera.
The matter is also the subject of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Attorney Eric Larson of Waukesha-based Municipal Law and Litigation Group will advise the Board as they wade through the complaint at a rate of $250 per hour plus $30 for document review and $35 for drafting documents or letters. Those expenses were approved by a City Council decision in late January.
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