On April 16th LaCrosseWatchdog submitted an open records request for any emails or written communication La Crosse County Administrator Steve O'Malley may have made in regarding the issue of the city of La Crosse hiring a City Administrator between and including the dates January 1st 2012-April 4th 2012. We were told by David Lange of La Crosse County Corporation Council that the request may include up to 200 pages of emails dealing with this subject matter and most in excess of $50 to obtain. LaCrosseWatchdog is still waiting for the county to turn over the documents.
On April 27th Mr. O'Malley submitted a request for an advisory opinion with the La Crosse Ethics Board regarding his actions in support of the La Crosse City Administrator referendum that failed on a vote April 4th. You can view hisletter here.Below is a copy of his letter as well.
It appears Mr. O'Malley may be in violation of the Hatch Act which which prohibits civil servants including state and local who's departments receive federal funding (23% of the 2010 county budget came from federal/state revenues) from engaging in partisan political activity while:
on duty
using government resources (email)
in a government office
wearing an official uniform
using a government vehicle
It also bars civil servants from using official authority or influence to interfere with an election. This is not the first time Mr. O'Malley actions have come into question in regards to violation the Hatch Act. See one of the most popular blog post LaCrosseWatchdog posted from 2011.
