GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Green Bay city council member is apologizing after an ethics complaint was filed against her.
Green Bay’s ethics board was supposed to hold a hearing Thursday evening on the complaint filed against Alder Kathy Lefebvre. The hearing ended up getting delayed.
Lefebvre showed up to city hall hoping to learn her fate for what she tells FOX 11 was an honest mistake.
“It was just a mistake and it’s something I don’t do.”
This all stems from a May Parks Committee meeting. The committee went into closed session to talk about whether the city should buy a home next to Bay Beach Amusement Park for future expansion.
Lefebvre lives a few houses away from the home and sat with her neighbors at the meeting, who were not allowed in the closed session.
When the committee returned to open session, the video shows Lefebvre admitting she shared the closed session vote information with her neighbors.
“What did you just say?” Alder Chris Wery questions Lefebvre in the video.
“No, I just…” replied Lefebvre.
“She just told them it was three to one vote again,” said David Charles, a resident who was at the meeting.
“Kathy, you’re out of order,” said Wery.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” said Lefebvre.
On Thursday, Lefebvre apologized again for her actions.
“Right now I keep thinking I’m embarrassed that I did it and I guess I was just too close to the situation.”
In the ethics complaint he filed with the city, Alder Andy Nicholson writes Lefebvre violated state statutes, as well as the city’s code of conduct.
The city’s ethics board delayed the hearing on the matter because Nicholson couldn’t attend.
It also voted to have city staff find out whether another office might be looking into Lefebvre’s actions, considering the accusation could involve open meetings law.
“Generally these investigations and enforcement activities are handled by the district attorney’s office,” said Bill Vande Castle, chair of the board. “I don’t know if that is an issue here or not.”
“That is their determination I guess,” said Lefebvre. “I don’t know why it would rise to that level.”
Lefebvre says she hasn’t heard from the district attorney.
A new hearing date is expected to be scheduled if city staff determines it is appropriate.
According to the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, it isn’t against open meetings law to disclose information obtained during closed session.
Green Bay’s city code of ethics does say officials can’t disclose confidential city information.
If the city’s ethics board holds a hearing, it would provide a recommendation to the full city council, who would determine whether a violation occurred and whether punishment should be issued.
Possible punishments for a violation include censure, community service, and being removed from the council.
