GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A defeated Green Bay candidate for common council has filed an elections complaint against the man who beat him.
Former candidate Tarl Knight says District 9 Alderman Ben DeBaker and his campaign violated Wisconsin election and campaign finance laws by mailing "illegal" material.
The complaint accuses DeBaker and committee members of coordinating anonymous campaign mailers distributed in March and April targeting Knight with claims that he calls "false representations" and "defamatory disinformation."
According to the filings, the mailers identified the sponsor only as “a concerned citizen,” allegedly violating Wisconsin disclosure requirements. Voters also accuse the DeBaker campaign of failing to report contributions and spending tied to the mailers.
DeBaker denies the allegations.
"We have detailed records of our campaign spending and correspondence with our vendors documenting the expenses referenced in the complaints," DeBaker said. "And I’ll be providing the Commission with all documentation as part of its review process."
DeBaker defeated Knight in the April 7 election after the two advanced in the Feb. 17 primary. The April election results showed DeBaker receiving 779 votes to Knight’s 659.
