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Resident submits ethics complaint alleging mayor campaigned at city meeting; council takes no action
Summary
Rick Dodd presented correspondence alleging Mayor Mitch Craig used his office to campaign at a municipal meeting; the council received the letter for information and took no formal action.
A citizen correspondence alleging unethical conduct by Mayor Mitch Craig was presented to the Portage City Common Council on Jan. 23.
Rick Dodd submitted an ethics complaint dated Jan. 9, 2025, saying that “in his elected office of mayor, he provided political commentary to the upcoming elections, specifically stating that he will do everything possible to get my opponent elected as mayor.” Dodd asked the council to revise the public-comment policy to apply to elected officials speaking at municipal meetings and to require a public apology from the mayor.
Councilors discussed the correspondence but did not take formal action. A council member noted the item was placed on the agenda as correspondence “for your information” and repeated that receiving the correspondence did not, by itself, trigger a policy change. Council discussion clarified there is no ordinance or state law cited at the meeting that prohibits an alderperson from endorsing a candidate; councilors said changing policy would require a separate process. No apology or disciplinary action was ordered during the meeting.
Why it matters: the complaint raises questions about elected officials’ use of municipal meeting time for political remarks and spotlights whether the city’s public-comment rules should explicitly address remarks by elected officials.
