GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Mayor Eric Genrich maintains the city of Green Bay did nothing illegal in how it ran the November election, and remains proud of its efforts.
“There is a lot of nonsense that is being spread.”
Genrich tells FOX 11 calls for an investigation into the city’s handling of the November election are unwarranted and he isn’t considering demands from some Republican lawmakers to step down.
“I think Senator Roth, he lost an election to be Majority Leader. I think he’s trying to stay relevant and that is part of it.”
State Sen. Roger Roth, R-Appleton, was the first to call for Genrich’s resignation. He made that call after a conservative report was released alleging private officials took over decision-making for the city’s election operations.
“We’ve got to trust our elections with individuals who work for a municipality,” said Roth. “Not with outside people who have a political agenda.”
Roth is referring to Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, a former Democratic operative, who was working for the Vote at Home Institute. He helped the city with the election as part of a $1.6 million grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life.
“I think it’s really important to note that grant was accepted, approved without a dissenting vote of our common council,” said Genrich.
FOX 11 asked Genrich what Spitzer-Rubenstein’s role was with the election and how he was chosen to help Green Bay.
“My understanding is Michael provided some technical assistance as part of that grant. It was spoken to in that grant that we would have access to some of that technical assistance. Nobody from the grant, nobody that was associated with the grant was making any decisions for the city. All of the decision making was kept within the city and that didn’t change.”
A city document a resident obtained through an open records request shows Spitzer-Rubenstein was assigned to guide the arrival of absentee ballots to the central count operations at KI Convention Center the morning of the election. From there, he is listed to help supervise the operations.
Genrich tells FOX 11 Spitzer-Rubenstein never helped cure ballots, which was also a concern raised after city emails showed he tried to offer assistance with the process.
“Nobody from outside the city had their hands on any ballots. It was the city of Green Bay, poll workers, volunteer poll workers and folks employed by the city of Green Bay.”
That isn’t what recently retired Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno testified to when talking about Spitzer-Rubenstein’s election day activity.
“He was advising them on things. He was touching the ballots. He had access to see how the votes were cast. When I asked him who he was and what his role was, he wouldn’t respond. He just walked away.”
Juno, a known Republican, was speaking at a hearing on Wednesday that only Assembly Republicans attended. The Republicans didn’t invite Genrich, a former Democratic State Representative, or any other city employees.
Juno also testified Spitzer-Rubinstein had four of five keys to the room at the KI that the city was using to count ballots. However, Green Bay City Attorney Vanessa Chavez tells FOX 11 that isn’t true.
“Mr. Spitzer-Rubenstein was the initial person who spoke with the KI in an effort to help secure the room, which is why his name appears in their records as the contact,” Chavez wrote in an email to FOX 11. “However, City staff were the ones who actually handled everything. Celestine Jeffreys picked up the keys directly from KI, and those were then given to Director Diana Ellenbecker who retained control over them. Similarly, Amaad Rivera-Wagner and Jamie Fuge were the ultimate contacts with regard to the room. Importantly, ballots were never stored at KI. They were stored at City Hall and moved to KI on Election Day by City staff.”
Some have also questioned the role of Genrich’s community liaison, Amaad Rivera-Wagner, who joined the city months before the election. He’s a former Democratic politician from Massachusetts who can be seen speaking at a rally in this three-year-old YouTube video.
A city document lists Rivera as a supervisor for the city’s central count operations.
FOX 11 asked Genrich why Rivera-Wagner was allowed to be part of the central count operations considering his strong political views.
“He was offering logistical support, but our chief inspector was Jamie Fuge, who is now our deputy city clerk now. So she was the one overseeing all the operations thereI think it’s important to note that there are people of all kinds of political ideologies that work for the city. But when it comes to our election, we have an obligation to do our work in a nonpartisan way and we have no reservations about that taking place.”
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has said there is nothing in state law that prohibits a municipality from using an outside consultant.
Also, before the election, conservatives legally challenged the grants given to cities like Green Bay. They alleged the grants were to sway results in Democratic-leaning cities. However, a judge rejected the claim.
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