Why John Nelson Is Unfit to Serve as Town of Waterford Police Chief: A Pattern of Abuse, Corruption, and Retaliation

by Dr. Richard Busalacchi 

 
John Nelson, current Mayor of Franklin and former Waterford Police Lieutenant, is reportedly under consideration for a police chief role in the Town of Waterford. Based on overwhelming documented evidence, Nelson’s record shows a disturbing pattern of:

• Misconduct in public office
• Abuse of authority
• Sexual harassment
• Use of government resources for personal gain
• Obstruction of records laws
• Political retaliation under color of law

This article compiles publicly verified documents, investigative transcripts, open records, and sworn complaints that collectively render Nelson **unfit for any law enforcement or elected leadership position.**

 📸 Suspicious Hiring Process and Lack of Transparency
On July 18, 2025, Waterford Supervisor Robert Ulander posted on Facebook that Town Chair Tim Szeklinski withheld police chief applications from the Waterford Town Board, and that interviews, including one with Nelson, occurred on July 18. Ulander also posted photos of Nelson leaving City Hall after his interview—raising alarm about backdoor dealings.

Nelson has indicated that he "retired" from the Waterford Police Department in October of 2024 amid an investigation.  According to WISN "Nelson was one of three staffers suspended in August, according to board chairwomen, Teri Nicolai"

 💾 Waterford Investigation Revealed Widespread Misconduct
Contrary to Nelson’s televised “witch hunt” defense on WTMJ (April 24, 2025), internal transcripts and patrol officer emails substantiate serious claims:

• Verbal harassment and intimidation of female officers
• Inflated administrative time for DNR reimbursements
• Improper restriction of women from road patrol
• Use of Waterford PD resources to campaign for Franklin mayor
• Retaliation against those who reported misconduct

Multiple officers corroborated these findings.

 “It’s not just one or two employees... it's over a half dozen,” noted investigator Riffel.

💼 Verified Ethics Complaint: Evidence of Pay-to-Play and Misconduct
A Verified Ethics Complaint filed July 17, 2025, outlines in detail Nelson’s alleged violations, including:

         ✅ Quid Pro Quo Development Favoritism

Mayor Nelson and Franklin Director of Administration Kelly Hersch allegedly used their positions to approve zoning changes and permits for developers who were political allies or donors. One such case involved Laurie Miller, Franklin’s former Planning Director, who wrote:

“You have directed me to remove my comments… from the Carma project staff report… These are all behaviors that are unethical.” “You told me: ‘You can guarantee the votes.’”

         ✅ Use of City PR Consultant “Mary Christine” for Political Work

Nelson and Hersh hired PR consultant Mary Christine (MCPR) on a $25,000 city contract, but used her to manage Nelson’s political messaging on Facebook—particularly regarding Waterford allegations and the former Waterford board chair Teri Jendusa-Nicolai. Christine never disclosed she was a paid city contractor while defending Nelson online.

This violates ethics statutes and case law including State v. Chvala, which prohibits public funds from being used for political gain.

⏱ Double Dipping and Shielding Records
Records prove that Nelson used his WaterfordPD.com email to:

• Conduct Franklin mayoral campaign business during Waterford PD hours
• Transfer Franklin government documents
• Obstruct Wisconsin Open Records requests

Nelson initially claimed “no records existed,” but over 96 emails were later recovered. As custodian of Waterford PD records, Nelson had full control over what was released, raising red flags over obstruction and tampering.

🎯 Coordinated Retaliation Against a Political Critic
The verified complaint outlines how:

• Nelson, Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor, and Franklin Alderwomen Michelle Eichmann, and a private citizen colluded to fabricate a false police report in retaliation for a constitutionally protected blog post.
• They used this fabricated report to trigger an October 24, 2024 bond hearing to remand the author to custody.
• The private citizen had access to sealed police reports and used them in court, even though the DA hadn’t released them to the defense.
• A municipal citation was issued just after the DA declined to prosecute—indicating retaliatory intent.

At a public Intergovernmental Cooperation Council (ICC) meeting on November 11, 2024, Nelson admitted to using law enforcement as a tool against dissent, comparing critics to terrorists and school shooters.  Nelson's exact statement obtained from public records request from the audio of the meeting:

“Bullying in our positions (elected officials) and the level of which we accept it opposed to what a normal harassment complaint would be is laughable…..I’ve had to bring in law enforcement and act as a complainant with some of the people that are associated with the prior administration because they have made it personal.  When you look at what that litmus test is just because you are an elected official I don’t believe you need to get wacked over the head every single time…..looking at the people coming out of the woodwork there are only a few miserable malcontents that take that opportunity to attack you on Facebook, Community Pages…. Another one who has got a problem and an issue and now posted some really dark weird things which I correlated to people that do stupid like mass shooting things, Columbine, Oklahoma City, he started posting this weird stuff and now he got cited for that.  The DA would not be on a state charge but we will get him on a municipal charge.  So I’m just saying we do not need to it there and take all this crap, let the police be proactive, let them do their jobs and hold these people accountable.  We have 36,000 ish people and I look at it like this if I only have a handful of people that are really, really really out there against me that's a win.  And if they are going to complain about me or whatever but the job I’m doing that's a win but we don’t have to take this as electeds.”

🧾 Coordinated Citation and Remand Campaign: A First Amendment Retaliation Scheme
In what appears to be a calculated effort to silence protected speech, Franklin Mayor John Nelson, County Supervisor Steve Taylor, and Franklin Alderwomen Michelle Eichmann coordinated to file a false and misleading complaint against the author on October 13, 2024, following the publication of a blog post critical of public officials.

Additional events and statements support a pattern of abuse:
1. At a September 17, 2024 Franklin Common Council Meeting (starting at 1:02:30), Nelson and Eichmann publicly targeted Franklin Community News as “fake news” and discussed finding other ways to “get him.” 

2. In the police report Taylor linked the incident to a private citizen who had no involvement in the blog, offered that the citizen contact info to police, and framed the issue as a restraining order violation. 

3. Nelson urged a police officer to write up bail jumping charges. 

4. A private citizen working in collusion with Nelson, Taylor and Eichmann submitted a victim impact statement with statements from a sealed police report.

5. Eichmann falsely characterized the author as a “stalker”—despite no police reports, citations, or convictions mentioning or containing “stalking”.

6. At the November 11, 2024 ICC meeting, Nelson compared the author to mass shooters and expressed satisfaction with getting him cited even after the State DA declined charges.

⚖️ Statutory Violations
According to the complaint and supporting evidence, Nelson’s conduct along with Taylor, Eichmann, and Hersch may violate:

Wis. Stat. §946.12 – Misconduct in Public Office 
Wis. Stat. §939.31 – Criminal Conspiracy 
Wis. Stat. §946.31 – False Swearing 
Wis. Stat. §946.41 – Obstructing an Officer 
Wis. Stat. §946.65 – Influencing Court Officers 
Wis. Stat. §11.1201 – False Reports and Campaign Statements 

Each of these carries potential civil, criminal, and ethical penalties.

 📂 Lawsuits Filed by Nelson to Suppress Records and Benefits Disputes
Nelson has filed multiple lawsuits to prevent public access to disciplinary records and challenge employment-related benefits related to his employment with Milwaukee County as Deputy Sheriff and as a Milwaukee County Parks Employee.

According to an article released by Urban Milwaukee on May 1, 2025, Nelson was the subject of nine internal affairs investigations between 1998 and 2011, when he was a Deputy Sheriff for the Milwaukee County according, to federal court records.

"Beginning in 2024, Nelson has filed several lawsuits attempting to block the release of these internal affairs case files that, according to the civil complaint filed by his attorneys, “could result in irreparable harm to Nelson’s reputation.”

According to the article Nelson resigned in 2012 before the investigators could interview him about the harassment complaint. He later alleged, in his suit against Clarke, that the investigation was retaliation for filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint against Clarke. Nelson’s EEOC complaint alleged he was passed up for a promotion because he is white. 

The MCSO investigation concluded that the allegations against Nelson should be sustained. Later, a county employment relations manager decided Nelson deserved “further discipline.” However, that decision was based on a different, though related, sexual harassment violation.

Nelson resigned before the Waterford investigation was complete in March 2024.

• 2022CV002605 / 2024AP001458 – Health insurance benefits dispute with Milwaukee County; summary judgment granted to County; on appeal. 
• 2024CV009974 – Employment suit voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. 
• 2024CV006935 – Records suppression petition. 
• 2024CV003244 – Additional transparency litigation. 
• 2024CV008887 – Civil complaint and stipulation to dismiss. 
• 2024CV009449 – Litigation followed by voluntary dismissal.

❗ Conclusion: John Nelson Must Be Disqualified
The appointment of John Nelson to any law enforcement leadership role—especially Police Chief in the Town of Waterford—is not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous. His history reveals:

Disregard for open government 

Harassment of staff 

Political corruption and abuse 

Misuse of taxpayer-funded resources 

Proven willingness to use police for personal retaliation 

Law enforcement requires the highest integrity and trust. John Nelson has forfeited both not just for the opportunity to be Police Chief in the Town of Waterford but to also continue to represent the Citizens of the City of Franklin.

📌 Supporting Documentation
Franklin Ethics Complaint, filed July 17, 2025 
Waterford PD Transcript (April 2024) 
Open Records: 94 emails from Waterford PD 
FCN Reporting on Christine PR Contract 
WTMJ Interview with Nelson 
Urban Milwaukee report (May 1, 2025)