GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An emotional Mayor Eric Genrich led off Thursday night’s city council meeting expressing his regret for what Green Bay voters endured Tuesday.
“I want to reiterate how terribly I feel about the experience of voters on Tuesday. It was painful to watch and I’m sure more painful to experience and I wish it never happened as it did, so I take full responsibility for the decisions I made.”
The main decisions residents and council members have been questioning are turning away community volunteers and National Guard members as poll workers and consolidating the city’s 31 polling locations to two.
Alder Chris Wery wants the Wisconsin Elections Commission to investigate the city’s election decision making.
“This is not any kind of witch hunt and it’s not out to get someone. I want answers. I haven’t been privy to any of those decisions. Neither has any of the council. To get a good answer, it has to be outside.”
Genrich says he and city clerk Kris Teske will provide their own report of what happened as they look to improve before the elections in August and November.
“For example, as an organization, we must figure out how to provide the assistance that will be necessary to handle a large number of absentee ballots this fall.”
Genrich also said he’ll advocate for polling changes at the state level.
Alder Randy Scannell says he wants a city resolution supporting mail-in only elections if coronavirus remains a threat.
“There is no doubt some people were infected. There is no doubt they are spreading that disease and that some people are going to die. It’s ridiculous. That’s insane.”
Alder Barb Dorff called for an ad-hoc elections committee while the virus persists. She also came to the defense of Teske.
“I believe firmly if you look at past performance, we are not going to have a problem with a future election,” said Dorff.
All alders who spoke expressed a desire for answers on what happened Tuesday. Genrich says he plans to provide some at the next council meeting on April 17th.
As for the elections commission investigation request, it was forwarded to a city committee for discussion.
