Lake Geneva mayor wants to sanction alderman

By GAZETTE STAFF Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008

LAKE GENEVA — The mayor intends to bring sanctions against an alderman who is accused of yelling at the city clerk in July.

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

Mayor Bill Chesen said although the situation has been resolved in court, Spellman must understand there are consequences for his "bad behavior."

"I'm ashamed of myself for not doing this sooner," he said.

Chesen said he waited first for the police to complete their investigation of the incident, then for the district attorney's office to issue its opinion on the matter and finally for the court proceedings to be completed.

Chesen said he plans to present the sanctions, which would strip Spellman of his committee assignments, at the Jan. 12 city council meeting.

"It's the only thing I have," he said of the action.

Spellman has said he intended to seek reimbursement from the city for his legal fees, but Chesen has said the city will "certainly" deny that request.

"His legal expenses are brought on by his behavior," he said. "The city will not pay for the bad behavior of anyone else, and it certainly will not pay for his."

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