Wausau Ethics Board orders witness statements and documents in complaint against Mayor Doug Denny

The Wausau Ethics Board on a June meeting voted to issue orders requiring statements and documents from a set of potential witnesses as part of its investigation into a complaint alleging Mayor Doug Denny violated “section 2.03 0.03, paragraph j” of the city code in connection with an absentee ballot drop box.

The action—initially approved as a motion to proceed with further orders for investigation—was unanimously adopted. The board later set a 21-day deadline for responses to the orders and approved sending the orders to the identified list of potential witnesses by a 3–1 vote. The board also scheduled a follow-up meeting for July 29 at 4 p.m. and named Aug. 25 as a tentative hearing date.

The orders the board approved direct recipients to provide two things for a limited timeframe: (1) a statement describing any contacts the subject had from Sept. 19, 2024, through Sept. 29, 2024, with or from the respondent relating to a box that was or could be used as an absentee ballot drop box for the 2024 general election in Wausau; and (2) copies of any documentation, including emails, from the same date range relating to the box. The chair read the proposed order aloud to the meeting: “It is ordered that the subject provide a statement giving the subject's account of any contacts the subject may have…