A hearing on a Fond du Lac city councilmembers’ request to reverse an Ethics Board ruling that he violated a section of the Ethics Code will be rescheduled after a Fond du Lac County Circuit judge recused herself from the case. Judge Tricia Walker recused herself at the request of councilmember Ben Giles over the appearance of a potential conflict regarding new Circuit Court Judge Paul Czisny who was appointed to the bench in March. Czisny was the chairman of the Ethics Board that heard the Giles case and issued the ruling. Giles claims that his constitutional right to due process was violated because he did not receive any advance notice of an Ethics Board hearing in February that he could be found in violation of the Code for consulting outside counsel, and that the violation was not set forth in either complaint against him. The city’s Ethics Board said Giles violated the Dedicated Service section of the Ethics Code when he sought outside counsel after the city attorney advised him not to participate in council debates and votes concerning the Lakeside Park Master plan placing the city at potential risk for liability.
