Franklin mayor misconduct allegations; town hall held to answer questions

Town hall for Franklin mayor's misconduct allegations

Franklin Mayor John Nelson held a town hall on Wednesday to address allegations made against him during his time with the Waterford Police Department.

FRANKLIN, Wis. - Franklin Mayor John Nelson rented out a room at the Franklin Public Library on his own dime on Wednesday, April 30, to answer questions about an investigation from his time as lieutenant with the Waterford Police Department.

The backstory:

The Franklin mayor is under fire because of a now-closed investigation that started about a year ago.

He was accused of fostering a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and getting paid on-and-off the table while he was a lieutenant with Waterford PD.

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The Town of Waterford hired an outside party to investigate Nelson after two complaints were made last April.

In May, Nelson and another lieutenant were placed on administrative leave. Nelson said they were not told why.

Dig deeper:

Records obtained by FOX6 News list some of the accusations, including a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and improper use of town resources while campaigning for mayor in Franklin.

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People could write down a question on a notecard that would then get read out loud. There wasn't an opportunity for talkback, but there was a big crowd and at least a dozen questions asked.

What they're saying:

"I’m being attacked – media, social media, a lot of things that are not true that I want to address," Nelson said. "If you had a problem with me or anyone else, why was it not brought forth prior?"

The investigation ended when Nelson retired in October. He has not been charged with any crime.

"I think these people were just afraid of retaliation," former Waterford town chair Teri Jendusa-Nicolai said. "And I also know one of them for a fact went to the previous chief and was stonewalled – nothing happened."