Judge denies request to stop hearing to remove Green Bay mayor

GREEN BAY -- A judge on Monday, February 20th denied a request from Green Bay's mayor to stop a hearing on his possible removal from office.


Mayor Jim Schmitt was convicted of three misdemeanors for violating state campaign finance reporting laws. A citizen filed a complaint seeking his removal.

On Monday, Outagamie County Judge John DesJardins ruled the removal hearing can be held. WLUK-TV (http://bit.ly/2l0z0j3 ) reports the City Council is expected to take up the citizen petition at a meeting Monday night.

Schmitt's attorney says the violations happened when he was a private citizen running for office and unrelated to his mayoral duties.

In December, Schmitt was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine after pleading guilty. A special prosecutor concluded Schmitt accepted more than $10,000 in illegal contributions.