Residents raise ethics-spending and vote-manipulation concerns during Wausau public comment

Two residents used the Wausau Common Council public comment period to raise concerns about municipal ethics spending, Mayor Doug Denny’s legal costs and alleged coordination by a group of alderpersons; the council did not take formal action on those issues during the meeting.

Paula Meadows, 1302 Madison Street, said she understood the council "has nothing to do with the ethics board" but asked to "find out where the money is being spent." She said a figure of "Dollars 10,000" had been discussed and added, "Dollars 10,000 to me is a lot of money." Meadows also asked whether the city had received a new fire truck and said she hoped the council had not proceeded with a property decision; she expressed concern about how much an ethics attorney might be charging.

Mary Bishinski, 708 Fulton Street, accused a group of alderpersons of manipulating votes and private communications and asked that the allegation be placed on the record. "I want this on the record because it is so obvious to me," she said, and urged people to "pay attention to what those 4 alders have been doing all along," recommending a review of past meeting recordings on YouTube.

No council response to the public comments is recorded in the transcript. The meeting proceeded to a motion to adjourn, which carried.

The comments were made during the meeting's public comment period and did not include documentary evidence of the claims raised. The speakers called for further review or transparency but did not present formal motions, and the record does not show the council assigning staff or launching an investigation during this session.