Taxpayers might have to foot the bill

RACINE – The city of Racine has racked up nearly $18,000 in legal fees, according to recently unsealed records in Alderman Sandy Weidner’s public records lawsuit.

The Journal Times submitted an open records request in November for the city’s legal bills, but was denied because the case was sealed. The newspaper gained access to the records this week, following an appellate court decision instructing Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz to determine which records should remain blocked from public view. The decision followed a challenge by a group of news media organizations, including the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

The bills were among several records unsealed late last week. A general docket was also posted to the state’s online court records system.

While offering little explanation to why Gasiorkiewicz would have sealed the case in the first place, the records outline the city’s argument of an extremely broad interpretation of attorney-client privilege, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Weidner filed the lawsuit in 2017, when she was running for mayor, after Racine City Attorney Scott Letteney denied her request for a copy of the PowerPoint presentation mostly featuring Weidner’s emails that he showed during a closed session of the executive committee.

Gasiorkiewicz sealed the case in February 2018 and found Weidner in contempt after she discussed details with the Journal Sentinel.

At the time, Weidner was ordered to pay the city’s fees, which her attorney argued were excessive. Now that the case is headed to the Court of Appeals, she won’t be responsible unless the higher court affirms the ruling.

» Read more