WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau Mayor Doug Diny has released a statement regarding this week’s situation surrounding a locked ballot dropbox placed in front of City Hall one week ago.
The complete statement reads:
Media Members,
The city clerk is out of her lane, I don’t work for her.
The Wausau City Attorney is in the middle of a performance review for not doing her job, initiated after claims made by a departing assistant city attorney came public in July. I had to bring in an independent law firm to handle that.
Meanwhile, Brookfield and New Berlin, WI brought the question of drop box utilization to their city council. That’s what I would like to do.
More than once, Robert Kennedy has reminded us that progress depends on change and change always has its enemies.
Diny removed the box on Sunday when he noticed it had not been anchored to the ground. According to City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde, staff was going to complete the installation and unlock the box this week.
“Once re-labeled, it was the intention of the Clerk’s Office to secure the drop box to the ground and then begin accepting absentee ballots,” said Bernarde. Recent State Supreme Court decisions have given local Clerks the authority to authorize and place ballot dropboxes at their discretion. However, Mayor Doug Diny said part of that involves making the boxes secure. He questioned how secure the box was when he noticed that it wasn’t bolted to the ground, making it possible for anyone to drive off with it.
RELATED: Wausau Mayor Removes Absentee Ballot Dropbox Last Weekend, Citing “Security”
Bernarde released a statement on Wednesday saying the matter has been turned over to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Marathon County District Attorney’s office for further evaluation. Her complete statement can be viewed in the PDF attached to this story.
Later Friday the Marathon County District Attorney’s office released a statement saying they would not handle the investigation into the issue:
The Portage County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting the investigation into the removal of the Absentee Ballot Box in the City of Wausau. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will continue to be apprised of the status and findings of the investigation. Due to the initiation of an investigation into this matter, no further comment will be made by the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office or Portage County Sheriff’s Office until such time as the investigation has been completed and the District Attorney’s Office has conducted a thorough review.
Comments