Small town keeps making big headlines
Storyline
The issue: The village of Darien can't stay out of the news. Notably, the village board has voted to fire Police Chief Steve DeVoy, and DeVoy took the village to court to try to block a request The Janesville Gazette made for records that support the board's decision.
The board listed six reasons for firing DeVoy, including the fact that he authorized the installation of surveillance cameras in the police department.
Board members face court time and possible fines for violations of the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law.
And the Walworth County Sheriff's Office recently investigated board President Bob Metzner after getting complaints accusing Metzner of impersonating a police officer.
What's new: Walworth County Judge Robert Kennedy ruled in favor of the village, and the Gazette expects to see the investigative documents by the end of the week. The sheriff's office has finished investigating Metzner and has forwarded the case to District Attorney Phil Koss for review.
What's next: DeVoy has the right to a hearing before his dismissal is official, although that hearing has yet to be scheduled. Village board members are expected in court this week on the open records charges.
DARIEN — You can't get an endorsement much better than one grounded in decades of on-the-street experience:
"It's been good to us for 47 years."
That's what one family told The Janesville Gazette about nearly five decades of life in the village of Darien.
But they didn't want to share their names.
Things in the village lately have been so "he said, she said" that it's best to stay out of it, they said.
That's one description for the state of affairs in Darien, where investigations, allegations, fines and hearings involving local officials have gotten prominent play in local news.
The village board, for example, voted to fire the police chief, although he technically is still employed by the village. The same board, meanwhile, faces allegations of violating the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law.
All four seats on the village board are contested in the April 7 general election.
That's a lot of ink for a village of 1,600 where biggest claim to fame usually is the annual Cornfest.
The Gazette recently stopped in during breakfast at the West Wind Diner, 620 N. Walworth St., Darien.
West Wind Manager Shqiprim Xheladini said local politics make good breakfast conversation.
Diners never tire of the subject, Xheladini said.
"It's a small town. You do one thing, make one person mad, everyone knows about it," Xheladini said.
He knew everyone in the diner that morning by first name. Grinning, he pointed out those he thought wouldn't mind having their breakfasts interrupted.
The Gazette asked diners what besides messy local politics people should know about Darien.
Larry Ulrich lives and works in his home across from the village fire station, just up the road from the diner. He's a retired volunteer firefighter who moved to the village in 1981 from a small town in Illinois and makes a habit of paying attention to local politics, he said.
Ulrich likes Darien's small-town atmosphere and agrees with Xheladini that small towns are "the same all over."
It's not always a bad thing to live somewhere where everyone knows you by name, Ulrich said.
"I raised two kids here," Ulrich said. "If they're out causing trouble, a lot of times you know about it before they get home."
Darien's really outdone itself lately by making headlines, Ulrich agreed, but he thinks things will calm down after the election.
Ted Sween won't get to vote in the village election. He lives outside the village in Darien Township. But he worked for 39 years at Farm City Elevator, 104 N. Wisconsin St., Darien.
Even when the issues are hot, Darien is still a quiet place to live, Sween said.
"We just like our peace and quiet," he said.
Board member and former President Bob Wenzel was finishing his coffee when a Gazette reporter sat down to chat.
Wenzel and the rest of the board will appear in court Friday for a pre-trial hearing on the open records violation. If they're found guilty, board members could be fined.
Wenzel's seat is not up for election this year.
Darien residents always have been quick to talk about what the board is up to, Wenzel said.
"They want to know how come you're spending so much or do we really need that new thing," Wenzel said.
That was the normal sort of conversation until Dec. 1, when village employees found surveillance cameras in the lobby and chief's office in the Darien Police Department, Wenzel said.
That was the spark that lit a rumor wildfire in Darien, he said.
That fire can be dangerous, he said.
"Because of a rumor, you can get bowled right out of office."
