SHEBOGYAN, WI (WHBL) - The Sheboygan Common Council will not take up a conflict of interest complaint filed against Don Hammond regarding his role in possible changes to Field of Dreams North.
Melissa Braesch claims the council president has used his elected position, along with past associations with Aurora through charitable work, to favor a deal to sell parts of Field of Dreams North to Aurora to construct several buildings. She wants Hammond to not vote on a rezoning of the land, which the council will take up April 8th.
Braesch attempted to explain her reasoning during the Common Council's public forum time, but Mayor Mike Vandersteen denied this, citing rules of the forum not to personally attack an alderman during this time.
In responding to the complaint, Hammond says his past charitable work with Aurora does not meet the threshold necessary to have him abstain from votes on the matter. He added that how he and the city have handled the possible sale is common to past city dealings with business growth.
The council denied a motion from Alderman David Van Akkeren to have the complaint taken up by the city's Ethics Committee, and approved to have the complaint filed without taking further action.
You can listen to Hammond's comments from the meeting, and Braesch's comments following the meeting, regarding the conflict of interest with the audio links above.