New Haven treasurer accused of ethics violation
By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The treasurer for the Town of New Haven has been named as the defendant in a civil suit filed by the Dunn County District Attorney’s office alleging an ethics violation.
Dunn County Assistant District Attorney Andrew J. Maki filed the civil complaint in Dunn County Circuit Court March 27 against incumbent treasurer Laura L. Ulrich, 52, for allegedly using her public position as treasurer to send out campaign advertising with the tax receipts to promote herself in the April 4 election.
According to the civil complaint, the campaign advertising was sent out between January 15 and February 1 with the tax receipts to 177 people who own property in the Town of New Haven in violation of Wisconsin statute 19.59.
Deputy Jason Stalker with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department was contacted February 6 by Marvin Prestrud, New Haven town chair.
Prestrud told Deputy Stalker that Ulrich had mailed voting propaganda out with the township’s tax receipts to town residents. Prestrud e-mailed a scanned copy of the letter to the deputy, according to the complaint.
In her letter, Ulrich asked for votes in the April 4 election from town residents. The letter was stapled to the the tax receipts, but Ulrich did not send the letter to current town board members or to her opponent in the election, the complaint states.
Two town residents contacted the New Haven clerk, Diane Duerst, by e-mail about the letter, and Duerst in turn asked Ulrich about the letter. Ulrich said she had mailed the letter to about 150 town residents and said she had paid for the postage with her personal credit card, according to the complaint.
Deputy Stalker contacted the town residents about the letter and was told the letter had been stapled to the tax receipt and had been mailed in a window envelope. Because they were window envelopes, Deputy Stalker believed that the envelopes used had been township envelopes.
When Deputy Stalker contacted the treasurer, Ulrich said she had sent the letter to 177 people and that she had paid for both the postage and the envelopes, with a check for $21.24 to the Dunn County Treasurer’s office for the envelopes and had paid for $122.50 in postage stamps with her credit card, according to the complaint.
The deputy received copies of the receipts from Ulrich on March 10 for the envelopes and the postage and also received the original envelope in which a town resident had received his tax receipt and the letter.
If convicted of the ethics violation, Ulrich could be required to pay a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation, and if the court determines that she violated paragraph (1)(br) of the statute, the court may order Ulrich to forfeit an amount equal to the amount or value of any political contribution, service or other thing of value wrongfully obtained.
Wisconsin statute 19.59 states that no local public official may use his or her public position or office to obtain financial gain or anything of substantial value for the private benefit of himself or herself or his or her immediate family, or for an organization with which he or she is associated.
The section of the statute (1)(br) refers to promising to vote a certain way or take official action in exchange for a political contribution or to benefit a candidate or political party.
