The City of Wausau Ethics Board has ruled that Mayor Doug Diny did commit a violation of the ethics code of elected officials after the handling of a locked, unsecure ballot drop box in the lead up to the 2024 fall election.
The board reconvened around 5:12 p.m. Wednesday evening, and made there announcement in front of an open meeting of attendees.
"Mayor Diny is ordered to conform his conduct to the requirements of the City of Wausau’s Ethics Code,” said Chair Calvin Dexter.
The board determined on "clear and convincing" evidence that Mayor Diny is seen as violating the ethics code; however, it is currently unclear what the penalty will be or what actions will be taken going forward.
The board cited section 2.03.030 paragraph J of the city’s code, which reads:
"No official/employee shall in his or her official capacity do any act or use his or her official title in performing any act, which he or she knows is in excess of his or her lawful authority or which he or she knows he or she is forbidden by law to do in his or her official capacity."
Diny has continued to defend his action, saying he moved the box into his office for safekeeping, claiming that anyone could have taken it.
Diny's opponents believe it is a violation because the intended use of the box was for absentee ballots, meaning City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde would have sole authority over it.
