Franklin Mayor Nelson Bribes Publisher to Retract Open Records Request for Personnel File from Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department
On July 5, 2024, over lunch at the Hideaway in Franklin, Mayor John Nelson bribed this publisher that if he retracted an open records request for Nelson’s Milwaukee County employment file, Mayor Nelson would arrange a meeting with the Franklin Police Chief to explore allegations, made several times, to the FPD regarding Milwaukee County Supervisor Taylor, along with ROC Ventures CEO Mike Zimmerman, and others, that the FPD has not acted on regarding workplace interference and harassment complaints alleged by this publisher.
I received a message from Mayor Nelson in mid-June that Nelson wanted to “create peace” with me. I did not follow up immediately. After a few weeks, I asked the mutual source to inform Nelson I would meet. What the Mayor was really seeking was for me to retract an Open Records request for his Milwaukee County Personnel file before Nelson was removed as a Sheriff's Deputy.
On July 5, 2024, the Mayor and I met at the Hideaway in Franklin, at the very back corner table on the right and he indicated that he would help me and provide access to the FPD and the FPD Chief if I would retract my request for his employment file to Milwaukee County. We met at the back table that Nelson also called his favorite table. What Nelson was unaware of was that a relative is a Manager at the Hideaway and that table is a great location based on camera angle and audio capturing.
Nelson also told me at the lunch on July 5, 2024, that he called the now-former President of MATC the first week of February to complain about me with the intent to get me fired. This can be confirmed by the former MATC President Dr. Vicki Martin.
During lunch when we were discussing my blog posts (FCNewswi.com) about Nelson, posted to the Waterford Can’t Sensor Us Facebook Group Page, the mayor stood up and leaned over the table with his fist in my face as if he was ready to hit me. I said to the Mayor “Are you really going to hit me in public, please go ahead.” There were two tables on each side of us, one with a group of three and another with a family group of about 8. I'm sure this lunch can be confirmed since I paid with my credit card for lunch and that can be confirmed by the restaurant.
The Mayor has had a pattern of outbursts and being threatening to individuals. Many sources have indicated that this is one reason he may have been suspended from the Waterford Police Department as a Lieutenant. Additionally, there was a report filed with the Sherriff's Department last year where he threatened Franklin resident and realtor Doug Millinovich at a community event, and more recently had a disturbing the peace report submitted by Franklin residents that were dining at a restaurant in Hales Corners as reported by This just in from Franklin.
On July 6, 2024, at the Franklin Civic Celebration, the Mayor in the presence of my wife and son came up to me and whispered in my ear the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday since the Chief is off on Monday and Tuesday following the Civic Celebration.
The Chief of Police, the mayor, and myself met at 10 am in the Mayor's office on July 10, 2024. The Mayor and the Chief committed to arranging a meeting with a Detective to investigate my concerns. I do not believe the Police Chief had any awareness this meeting or was part of the bribe by Mayor Nelson.
As arranged in the meeting with the Police Chief and the Mayor On July 12 at 9 am I met with a Franklin Police Detective who agreed to advocate for me and my concerns. Immediately after meeting with the Detective on July 12, 2024.
Court records will show Milwaukee County Case Number 2024CV003244 John R. Nelson vs. County of Milwaukee was filed on April 22, 2024, and closed on July 22, 2024. Mayor Nelson obtained the services of MacGillis Wiemer LLC to prevent the release of his personnel file from Milwaukee County Human Resources. Court records indicate the case was filed for dismissal on July 17, 2024, five days after the publisher sent an email to Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel requesting that the open records request be withdrawn.
Court records will also show that a scheduling conference was scheduled for July 11, 2024. During this conference based on the bribe Mayor Nelson made it known that he was aware that I was withdrawing the request. Later that day I received a call form Corporation Counsel asking me it what they were told was correct. I told them I was still unsure.
I was unsure as the next day I had the promised meeting with the detective and did not want to withdraw the request until I was sure the detective was going to help me and meet with me.
The following day I officially withdrew the request via an email Corporation Counsel. I went to City Hall at about 11 am. I delivered a hard copy email in an envelope to the Mayor, the email correspondence that I sent to Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel asking to withdraw my open records request along with Corporation Counsel’s reply.
Text messages to and from the Mayor in addition to emails to Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel requesting that the open records be retracted support this allegation.
All of this information has been provided to the Franklin Police Department.
Franklin Alderwoman Eichmann Files Anonymous Police Complaint Alleging Fear of Personal Threat Based on Blog Published by Franklin Community News - Mayor Nelson Allegedly to Also File Compliant
The blog contained information providing some perspective on a slogan used by Supervisor Taylor during his re-election campaign "For the Greater Good". The information provided was a reference directly quoted from the Frontier Institute. In the initial blog, we referenced some local elected officials by name.
“For the greater good” is a phrase that refers to the idea of doing something for the benefit of the public good. However, the phrase has been used to justify catastrophic events that have resulted in significant human suffering and death.
According to the Frontier Institute “Greater Good” advocates believe that “an action is moral if it results in more good than harm. It’s okay to kill one man to save ten. It’s moral to commit one evil act as long as it’s in service of something noble. Throughout history, many catastrophic events have been justified in the name of the “greater good”. Sound familiar Franklin and Oak Creek?.
Have you had enough catastrophic political events at the hands of the same Chicago style politicians? Just to be very clear we are not talking about death or a catastrophic event, we are talking about evil political acts : providing misinformation, not following city code, pay for play, and using a political office for personal gain, just to name a few.
On the evening of October 13, 2024, shortly after the article was published, two Franklin Police Officers arrived at the residence of this publisher following up with an "anonymous" call that local elected officials' lives were being threatened in a post by Franklin Community News.
The report filed by the officers, who were both model stellar officers, will show that there was no threat and the case was closed on the same day. As a result of the multiple tips, a follow-up call was made to one of the officers the following day October 14, 2024. In a discussion, the officer confirmed that the issue was closed and that there was no threat.
FCN has received information from multiple sources, who have agreed to sign a sworn notarized affidavit, that they were informed the anonymous report was placed by Alderwoman Eichmann. The information provided also indicates that Mayor John Nelson is also allegedly filing a complaint because he was threatened by the post.
According to the officers no report was filed by Mayor Nelson.
Mayor Nelson and Alderperson Eichmann Allegedly Planning on Filing Lawsuit Against Publisher for Defamation - also enlist Supervisor Kathleen Vincent
FCN has also received from the same multiple sources that Alderwoman Michelle Eichmann and Mayor John Nelson have discussed allegedly filing a lawsuit of defamation against FCN. The sources also confirmed that Supervisor Kathleen Vincent was contacted to join the suit.
To successfully sue for slanderous or libelous statements made against a public official in Wisconsin, the plaintiff must prove that the statement was false, communicated to a third party, was unprivileged, and was made with "actual malice," meaning the defendant knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Actual malice requires that an allegedly defamatory statement be made with the knowledge that it is false or with reckless disregard of whether it is false or not. Actual malice does not mean bad intent, ill-will, or animus.
This is yet another strategy by elected officials to silence the First Amendment rights of a blogger who exposes corruption in Franklin by posting blogs and retaliation for filing ethics complaints.
Mayor Nelson, Alderwoman Eichmann, and County Supervisor Vincent, when you file that baseless and frivolous lawsuit for defamation, please make sure you include the following harassment and retaliation of my First Amendment rights to silence me and make me go away so the truth of your corruption will not be told. Please be sure to include the following:
Alderwomen Eichmann
- Unethically interfering in the city of Franklin Quote Process to have a bid for carpet awarded to your employer, Stu's Flooring as previously reported by Franklin Community News.
- Participating in a "Facebook Sting" with County Supervisor Steve Taylor and Greendale Joe Russ as Facebook Posts, and Facebook Group Membership as evidence will corroborate.
- Mayor Nelson, in a conspiracy with Steve Taylor and Mike Zimmerman, used their position as Mayor and County Supervisor to Interfere with my Employment at Milwaukee Area Technical College seeking to have me fired. Open records and Nelson's conversation with the former MATC President will substantiate allegation.
- Using his position as Mayor, Mayor Nelson weaponized the Franklin Police Department against me at a Common Council meeting in an attempt to silence my First Amendment rights. Again, the FPD was unaware that they were being used by the Mayor and that what the Mayor told the officer was untrue. Obtained video clearly shows Nelson signaling the officer to talk to me and warn me that I am being watched.
- Mayor Nelson purposefully withheld responsive open records requested from the Franklin City Clerk to (John.1968Nelson@gmail.com) email account and the (jnelson@waterfordpd.com) email account. A violation of state Statues 19.37(3)(4) Both emails contained the City of Franklin business. The 94 emails obtained from Waterford clearly demonstrate that Nelson was doing City of Franklin business on Waterford PD time and withheld open records.
- Using his position as mayor, Mayor Nelson interfered with a police investigation and provided information to the individual(s) the investigation pertained to, including County Supervisor Steve Taylor. Franklin Police reports will demonstrate.
- Nelson has told multiple individuals, who will sign a notarized affidavit that if he caught this publisher by himself "he would beat the living shit out of him".
