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Green Bay committee amends election-audit request; asks staff to present materials submitted to WEC
Summary
Facing public testimony and a pending Wisconsin Elections Commission inquiry, the committee replaced an independent-audit request with a motion to have staff present the materials it submitted to WEC and to present that information to the full council on Aug. 18; the committee approved the amendment unanimously.
The Protection & Policy Committee on July 13 amended a communication seeking an independent operational audit of Green Bay election administration procedures and unanimously approved language requesting that staff present to the full council the materials the city submitted to the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).
A communication originally submitted by Alder Act (District 11) and co-sponsored by Alder Grant (District 1) asked for an independent operational audit after a recent ballot-handling error. Co-sponsor Alder Grant told the committee she and other sponsors did not want to duplicate the WEC’s work and proposed that, once WEC’s inquiry is underway, staff present the documents the city submitted to WEC at the full council’s Aug. 18 meeting so the public can see what was submitted.
"This shows full transparency and will help to restore the trust in our elections for Green Bay citizens," Alder Grant said, urging staff presentation and a mayoral and HR review of personnel matters where appropriate. The amended language also asked city leadership to "review personnel issues pertaining to this issue and take appropriate actions" and encouraged interviews of current and former employees.
City staff/legal advisors told the committee the WEC submission timeline includes a later deadline of Aug. 14, and staff said they could present the submitted material at the Aug. 18 council meeting after the WEC submittal date. The committee clarified the vote would request staff presentation of what was submitted to WEC, not WEC’s investigative findings.
The public comment period included multiple speakers who defended Clerk Celestine Jeffries and urged careful treatment of city employees. Remote commenter Wendy Corio said she has "known Celestine Jeffries" for years and described her as "honest and smart," while longtime poll worker Jane Benson described duplicate-ballot problems as correctable and warned that removing a clerk in an active election period could hamper administration. Former Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno urged the committee to closely evaluate election administration practices given her long experience running elections.
After discussion, the committee approved the amended request unanimously and directed staff to present the materials submitted to WEC to the council packet and as a presentation on Aug. 18.
