On evening of Thursday, September 22, 2022, Dane County Supervisor Melissa Ratcliff during a regular meeting of the Dane County Board made the following statement during the debate:
“Thank you Chair. I was worried about the language in lines 20 and 21 and what that would do for our budget and in order to make sure that we don’t have to worry about that let’s get Evers and Kaul re-elected and then we won’t have to worry about re-working our budget. So let’s get out there and get people out to vote. That’s what I’m going to be doing. And voting in support of this resolution, or amendment.”
Today, I filed a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission asking them to investigate this clear violation of Dane County Ordinance which clearly prohibits the use of public office or county equipment for partisan political activity. As a county issue, I expect this will ultimately be forwarded to the Dane County District Attorney and the Dane County Ethics Board to be fully investigated as it moves forward.
Over all the years that I have served on the Monona Grove School Board, I have never campaigned for myself or for other candidates, partisan or nonpartisan. Frankly, that is the least our constituents should expect and I’ve always held myself to a higher standard – it is disappointing that my opponent has lowered that bar. I believe that this is an abuse of power and Dane County Supervisor Melissa Ratcliff should be held accountable for her actions.
Reference
Dane County Ordinance, Chapter 9 – https://www.countyofdane.com/documents/pdf/ordinances/ord009.pdfVideo of Supervisor Ratcliff’s comments – https://youtu.be/GtcYeDgzTTs
