Wausau Ethics Board Schedules Tentative Hearing for Complaint Against Mayor

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 -- 8:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wausau Ethics Board has scheduled a tentative hearing date of August 25th in the complaint against Mayor Doug Diny.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, the Board also voted to collect additional information from about a dozen additional potential witnesses, including Police Chief Matthew Barnes, Public Works Director Eric Lindman, Finance Director MaryAnn Groat, and Deputy Police Chief Todd Baeten.

“It gives them an opportunity to tell us what their experiences were with this,” said Board Member Jesse Kearns. “Their responses would also give us insight to ask the proper questions at the hearing.”

Those individuals will have 21 days from the date the order for investigation is signed to respond. Board members also acknowledged the possibility that those people may not have anything to add to the investigation.

“They could provide a response saying ‘[I] had no contact with the Mayor during that time period, nor do you have any documentation. It’d be pretty simple, probably wouldn’t need a lawyer,” said Chair Calvin Dexter.

The order, as approved by the Board during Monday’s meeting, calls for the subject to provide “account of any contacts the Subject may have had, from September 19, 2024, through September 29, 2024, with or from [Mayor Diny] relating to a box that was or could be deployed as an absentee ballot drop box for the 2024 general election in Wausau,” along with documentation of those contacts including emails.

The board also scheduled a late July meeting to go over the responses received from the potential witnesses. Attorney Eric Larson, who is advising the board, also noted that the August 25th date needs to be flexible in case an extensive back-and-forth is required between all legal teams involved.

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