Mayor foregoes sanctioning alderman

By KAYLA BUNGE Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009

LAKE GENEVA — The mayor intended to bring sanctions Monday night against an alderman accused of yelling at the city clerk, but taking advice from the city attorney, he kept quiet.

Alderman Tom Spellman was cited in October for disorderly conduct, but the citation was dismissed Dec. 10 after his apology to City Clerk Diana Dykstra.

Mayor Bill Chesen told The Janesville Gazette in late December that although the situation was resolved in court, Spellman should realize there are consequences for his "bad behavior."

Chesen said he had planned to present the sanctions, which would strip Spellman of his committee assignments, at the city council meeting Monday.

But City Attorney Dan Draper advised Chesen that doing so under the agenda item calling for mayoral appointments to committees, commissions and boards would be a violation of open meetings law.

Spellman sits on the public works committee, the piers, harbors and lakefront committee and the Geneva Lake use committee.

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