Sheboygan Mayor Perez Wants to Move On

In today's Sheboygan Press, there's a weird letter from Mayor Juan Perez.

It's not really an apology letter for his role in harassing a private citizen and political opponent. It doesn't really clarify much, other than the fact that he wants to put the controversy behind him.

He writes:

I recently asked City Attorney Steve McLean if a person that was linking to the Sheboygan Police Department Web site needed permission from the city. Subsequently, a determination was made to ask the owner of the Web site to remove the link.

I should not have taken that action. I have already apologized to Ms. Jeni Reisinger.

I take my responsibilities as mayor of the City of Sheboygan very seriously.

I value the good, respectful and professional image that we maintain in our community.

Along with the Common Council and employees to the city, I have been working tirelessly to hold the line on taxes, to keep our city safe and clean, to grow our city's businesses and to continue to provide high levels of services to our citizens who are paying the bill.

The Sheboygan Press recently suggested that I get a thicker skin. I believe that is good advice and I will try to follow it.

I will continue to be a strong advocate for all that is good in Sheboygan, all that brings people together instead of dividing them, all that brings out the best in us as caring and concerned citizens of this wonderful city.

I truly appreciate the support that I receive every day, on the phone, in e-mails and in conversations on the street with my fellow citizens. You renew my energy and enthusiasm for making Sheboygan the best place anywhere.


JUAN PEREZ

Mayor of Sheboygan

The first paragraph of his letter is so lame. Perez wants to neatly sum up the link story in three quick sentences. It's an adequate summary of why officials were involved in demanding that Jeni Reisinger remove a link from her site. He completely bypasses acknowledgment that there was absolutely no legal basis for that "determination" to be made.

Perez goes on to say that he shouldn't have taken that action. His letter would have been better if he had said that and nothing more.

"I should not have taken that action."

Everybody knows Perez should never have taken that action. It's black and white.

I'm guessing that Perez has apologized to Jeni because her attorney demanded that she receive a formal apology from him, not because he is truly sorry for the pain he caused her. That's just a guess.

Then he goes on to give a stump speech and thank his supporters.

It's a self-serving letter more than an apology for abusing his power and position.

Another letter in today's Sheboygan Press comes from Police Chief David Kirk. He supposedly clarifies the police department's role in the link case.

He writes:

I would like to clarify several points regarding the Sheboygan Police Department's involvement in the situation involving the Internet link on a Web site maintained by Jeni Reisinger.

On Oct. 16, I was initially asked if I gave "authorization" in this matter. I stated "no" and recommended that Mayor Juan Perez should confer with the city attorney.

I later received a memo from the mayor and questions arose as to the possible involvement of one of my officers and whether he gave "authorization" in this matter. As police chief, I asked a supervisor, as I often do, to begin an inquiry into what are the facts in this incident, is "authorization" needed, and what part, if any, my officer had in this matter.

Questions then seemed to surface as to the focus of this effort. It was a fact-finding effort and was never the intention of the Sheboygan Police Department through this effort to investigate a citizen or her Web site.

We never investigated Jeni Reisinger, nor have we ever intended to investigate her, nor were we ever asked by anyone — be it the mayor, the city attorney, or anyone else — to investigate her or her Web site.

Our inquiry into this matter is finished and the status is that the officer is exonerated — that means that the acts attributed to the officer did occur, but were lawful and proper.


DAVID KIRK

Sheboygan Police Chief

What's clarified here?

It's clear that Kirk is saying the matter is finished, over, done, complete.

He says, as he has said in recent interviews, that the SPD never intended to investigate a private citizen or her website. The call to Jeni was a fact-finding mission.

I think that point could and should have been made much clearer when Jeni was contacted by the police. She should have been told that she was NOT the subject of a police investigation.

In sum, there's a lot of CYA going on here in these letters, and there's a good deal of deflection and deception.

What isn't addressed is the incompetence and arrogance of Perez, City Attorney Steve McLean, and others.

The "determination" that the government had the authority to demand that a private citizen remove a link from her website reeks of abuse.