GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A lawsuit and accompanying ethics complaint filed against a Green Bay alderman is putting the city’s new personal conduct policy to the test.
Former city council candidate Debbie Jacques has filed an ethics complaint against Chris Wery with the city attorney. It comes just a day after Jacques filed a civil lawsuit against Wery.
According to court records obtained by FOX 11, Jacques was told last month by Associated Bank that Wery inappropriately accessed two of her personal bank accounts.
“I just cannot believe that somebody would go to this length to hurt another individual or to win an election or to do anything like this,” said Jacques.
Last month, Wery defeated Jacques 68 percent to 32 percent for Green Bay’s District 8.
Wery’s win came despite Jacques holding a press conference the Friday before the election. That’s when Jacques first accused Wery of using his temporary employment with Associated Bank to access her bank accounts.
In a court affidavit, Jacques provided copies of emails from Associated Bank. In one email, a senior employee states an internal investigation indicated a contract employee inappropriately viewed information from Jacques’ accounts. The Associated employee also wrote the bank ‘took immediate action to remove the contract employee from assignment with Associated Bank.’
Jacques says the initial goal of the lawsuit is to protect her personal information.
“I want my personal information protected,” said Jacques. “What we do after that, I don’t know.”
Before Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Wery declined to talk about the lawsuit. However, before the election, Wery issued a statement saying he filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board about Jacque’s campaign finances.
Jacques says she corrected her financial filing status. She believes Wery’s actions might have cost her the election.
“If I could have been out there talking to more people on what happened, I think it would have changed the numbers significantly,” said Jacques.
A hearing on the civil lawsuit has been scheduled for May 16th.
As for the ethics complaint, if the city clerk deems it complete, the ethics board must have a hearing in the next 45 days. Possible punishment includes censure, community service, or up to a $500 fine.
