City of Green Bay
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Green Bay alders, Melinda Eck (District 11) and Jennifer Grant (District 1), are calling for transparency amid an investigation into the city’s election procedure.
Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Elections Commission ordered an investigation into the Green Bay City Clerk’s office after duplicate ballots were issued for the two most recent elections. City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys has been put on administrative leave pending the investigation.
After originally asking for an independent audit, alders Eck and Grant are requesting the city council be presented with the material submitted to the WEC by the city. The presentation would be scheduled for its Aug. 18 common council meeting. The language sent to the city reads:
Due to WEC requiring an investigation we would like to change our request that staff will present a full report at our council meeting on August 18th of the findings that were submitted to WEC, in order for the public to know the results. This shows full transparency and will help to restore the trust in our elections for GB citizens. We also urge on the mayor and HR to review personnel issues pertaining to [these] issues and take appropriate actions. We encourage interviews from current and past employees to accomplish this.
“People are concerned, because although they say that there’s checks and balances in place so that one ballot won’t be counted twice, it still gives that appearance that that’s a possibility of fraud,” said Eck.
“That’s why we’re requesting the presentation of what they’re submitting to WEC because I do think WEC will do proper investigating and decision making from there. And that’s why we didn’t want to duplicate,” said Grant.
District 4 Alderperson, Jon Shelton, spoke about the city’s elections.
“I think it’s a good thing that WEC is investigating what we’re talking about. I just want to remind everybody that there has not been any substantiated evidence of any actionable irregularities in any Green Bay elections over the past five years. That these elections have all been by the board,” said Shelton.
Green Bay’s Protection & Policy Committee approved the requests. It still needs final approval from the common council at its July 21 meeting.
Additionally, Eck and Grant say they plan to follow up and ask for a report from the WEC once its investigation is finished.
A Facebook post from the Republican Party of Brown County says, “Rather than duplicate the WEC’s efforts, Alders Eck and Grant plan to ask that a full report be prepared once the investigation is complete and presented publicly so residents have access to it.”
Records held by the WEC are public, except as otherwise provided by law. However, Eck and Grant are planning to request the city ask the WEC to bring its findings directly to the common council for public presentation.
After its investigation into the city of Madison, the WEC made its records available on its website.
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