Exposé: How Franklin/Greendale Officials Weaponized Law Enforcement and Lies to Silence Free Speech

📌 Fact Summary

• A disorderly conduct citation was rooted in Alderwoman Michelle Eichmann’s "anonymous" complaint that she “felt threatened” by the blog phrase “for the greater good” — even though the Franklin police admitted there were “no direct threats.”

• The citation itself contained no conduct, time, or location — and ADA John Letsch marked it “no process” the very next day.

• Despite this, the citation and blog language were later used in victim impact statements as if they were valid proof of misconduct.

• A key Franklin police report (Oct. 13–14, 2024) was withheld from the defense for nearly six months, yet the complainant had access and referenced it at the October 24 bond hearing.

• Critical recordings of meetings with Nelson, Eichmann, and Taylor were never released, even though reports referenced them.

• Officer Elm made a false statement on video, claiming he had warned about bail jumping — contradicted by his own bodycam.

• Officials’ own words confirm intent:

  • Nelson at ICC: “The DA would not be on a state charge but we will get him on a municipal charge.”

  • Taylor on Facebook: "Little does she (Jude Hannah Dugan) know he will serve his time and go right back to his fake news blog and continue his baseless (lies).” 

📌 These facts, documented in motions and affidavits, show the citation was not about public safety. It was a political tool to silence FCN’s reporting.

Introduction

On October 24, 2024, Franklin issued a disorderly conduct citation against the publisher of Franklin Community News, Dr. Richard Busalacchi. On paper, it looked like a routine municipal ticket. In reality, it was the culmination of a coordinated campaign by Mayor John Nelson, Alderwoman Michelle Eichmann, Supervisors Steve Taylor and an employee of a local Regional Business Alliance.

This exposé, grounded in court filings, sworn affidavits, transcripts, and public statements, shows how these officials misused restraining orders, police power, and even my employment to retaliate against Franklin Community News (FCN) for exposing corruption and exercising my First Amendment rights.

A Citation Without a Crime

The disorderly conduct citation - (police report) at the center of this case was not rooted in any unlawful behavior. It was issued at 3:34 p.m. on October 24, 2024 — while I was still in court on another matter related to the individuals named in this story. The citation contained no description of conduct, no time, and no location.  I received the citation two days later on October 26, 2024 via US Mail.

The next day, ADA John Letsch marked it “no process.” Yet weeks later, the Business Alliance employee cited the same citation in her victim impact statement as if it were proof of guilt:

“He recently received a disorderly conduct citation from the City of Franklin.”

This shows the citation was never intended to enforce order. It was meant to create a false narrative of criminality that could be used against me.

Officials’ Role in the Retaliation

🟥 John Nelson (Mayor of Franklin)

Nelson repeatedly blurred the line between public office and personal vendetta. He pressured police to “make [me] feel scared,” accused me baselessly of planning violence at council meetings, and bragged at the ICC (Intergovernmental Cooperation Council) that while the DA had refused state charges, Franklin would “get him on a municipal charge.”(Audio Clip of ICC Statement)

Most tellingly, in the Waterford investigation transcript, Nelson openly admitted:

“I helped her obtain it (restraining order) against him.”

This confirmed that the restraining order — the foundation for all later charges — was not independently pursued but orchestrated with the mayor’s direct involvement, along with Taylor, Vincent, and Zimmerman.

🟥 Steve Taylor (Milwaukee County Supervisor)

Taylor's retaliation went far beyond political bluster. He pressured police to elevate false reports, threatened me online, and misused a county aide to monitor hearings. But affidavit evidence proves his involvement in something even more serious: helping engineer the restraining order itself.

A signed affidavit confirms that Taylor, Vincent, Zimmerman, and Nelson assisted the Business Alliance employee in obtaining the restraining order in May 2023. In another sworn account, Taylor is recorded as having spoken with DA John Chisholm directly, with Chisholm allegedly agreeing to “take care of Busalacchi” at Taylor’s urging.

Taylor’s later Facebook admission — “DA wanted to have a mental evaluation but the judge (Hannah Dugan) thought 75 days would correct him.  Little does she know he will serve his time and go right back to his fake news blog and continue his baseless (lies).” — shows the order and the prosecution that flowed from it were never about protection. They were about shutting down FCN.

🟥 Kathleen Vincent (Milwaukee County Supervisor and Greendale School Board Member)

Vincent’s fingerprints are all over the restraining order scheme. A sworn affidavit confirms that she, along with Taylor, Nelson and Zimmerman, worked behind the scenes to assist the business alliance employee in obtaining the order. The affidavit also details how she leveraged her personal friendship with Assistant DA Potter to give the complainant unusual access to the District Attorney’s office. She even met privately with Judge Hannah Dugan during proceedings (twice) — an ex parte violation — while directing her and Taylor’s legislative aide to attend my hearings and report back.

That affidavit is reinforced by longtime Greendale resident and Village Board Member Ron Barbian, who recounted conversations in which Vincent admitted to him she was coordinating directly with an Assistant District Attorney, DA Chisholm’s office, and Taylor to ensure the restraining order and charges against me would succeed.

Together, the sworn affidavit and Barbian’s account point to the same conclusion: Vincent was not simply a supporter of the restraining order. She was an active coordinator who used her political position and prosecutorial connections to weaponize the justice system for retaliation.

🟥 Michelle Eichmann (Alderwoman)

Eichmann used both her public role and personal influence. She filed the complaint that served as the pretext for the disorderly conduct citation, claiming she felt threatened by my blog. Police reports admit the blog contained “no direct threats” — but her political allies treated her feelings as grounds for prosecution.

At the 2024 St. Martin’s Festival, Eichmann told Angela and Marcus Christie:

“Steve Taylor (timed it with Chisholm) so Rich would be locked up over Christmas.

This remark aligned with later events, when Judge Dugan timed sentencing so that I would serve time over the holidays.

🟥 Mike Zimmerman (ROC Ventures / ROC Foundation)

Zimmerman’s involvement showed how political favors and development interests intersected with retaliation. He benefitted from Taylor’s role in rezoning and selling Ballpark Commons land, later giving Taylor the job Executive Director of the ROC Foundation. His role demonstrates how business allies stood to gain while political allies carried out the retaliation.

Apr 14, 2023, 1:31 PM

Steve

"Then it will be game on if you write anything regarding Mike, John or I on anything outside of the City of Franklin municipal government."

"I will talk with Mike and John because you are nothing but trouble."

"I am done with you.  We will handle you accordingly."

🟥 Regional Business Alliance Employee

The employee filed more than a dozen false or misleading police reports in Franklin and Greendale. These reports became the backbone of the prosecution, even after most were marked “no process” or proven false.

Key false reports include:

• Feb. 1, 2022 – Greendale PD: Initial harassment report, later repurposed in the restraining order. Texts contradicted her claims.  Police report makes no claim of "Stalking".

• June 15, 2023 – Franklin PD: Claimed I told her landlord not to rent to her. Texts disproved it; marked “no process by ADA.”

• July 1, 2023 – Greendale PD: Reported that a private text to friends was directed at her. 

• July 17, 2023 (Greendale PD): Two reports - First, claimed Facebook posts unrelated to her were harassment. Later that day, claimed another repost about Taylor/Zimmerman “targeted” her, though she was incidental to one out of nine photos.

• Oct. 10, 2023 – Greendale PD: Accused me of harassing her “friends” (Taylor, Nelson, Zimmerman) and canceling a band’s booking. Addendum disproved this.

• Oct. 17, 2023 – Greendale CAD report: Submitted April 2023 Facebook messages as if they violated the restraining order — but the order was not issued until May 15, 2023 messages were from April 14, 2023, six months prior to the restraining order.  A fabricated violation using messages between Taylor and myself.

• Sept. 18, 2024 – Greendale PD: Accused me of running the “Franklin Wag the Dog” blog. A sworn affidavit from Bryan Maresch confirmed he authored the posts. Police found no basis for charges, yet the false and fabricated claim resurfaced in victim impact statements.

• Nov. & Dec. 2024 – Sentencing Statements: Recycled voided disorderly conduct citation and disproven reports to imply “ongoing violations.”

Despite being discredited, these reports were repeatedly cited by prosecutors and woven into victim impact statements as if they were "true".

After sentencing, she was overheard in Supervisor Taylor’s office saying:

“It’s finally over, we got him.”

The April 10, 2024 Sting

Perhaps the clearest example of coordination came on April 10, 2024, when a supposed restraining order violation was manufactured through a sting operation.  

In the days leading up to the incident, records show that Michelle Eichmann, Steve Taylor, and Joe Russ all joined the Waterford Facebook group where I was active providing FCN's blogs to interested Waterford community.  This was during the time of Nelson's investigation as Police Lieutenant.  Nelson resigned before the conclusion of the investigation. On April 9, Russ, a Greendale property owner who disliked me from my days on the Greendale Village Board, had a vendetta against me sympathized and supported the Business Alliance employee. Russ baited me during a posting exchange in the group. In the heat of the discussion, I posted a Franklin complaint letter that briefly included the Business Alliance employee’s name. Within five minutes, I realized the error and removed the post. But it was too late — Taylor and Russ had already taken screenshots.

The very next day, the business alliance employee filed a complaint with the Greendale Police Department, claiming the brief post violated the restraining order. She told officers she was acting on her own, but transcripts show she admitted she “needed to get” the Franklin complaint from Nelson. That document was never obtained through any open-records process — Nelson simply handed it over.  

Eichmann and Taylor supplied the screenshots, and Russ orchestrated the bait. The Business Alliance employee delivered the report. Prosecutors then used this report as though it proved ongoing misconduct, even admitting it as a read-in charge at sentencing.

This was not a misunderstanding or a technical slip. It was a vindictive, retaliatory maneuver deliberately aimed at harming me — my freedom, my reputation, and my ability to continue reporting through Franklin Community News. The April 10 sting proved that the restraining order was never about protection. It was about retaliation, vindictiveness, and calculated harm against a journalist who refused to be silent. 

Taylor’s Private Regrets

Behind the scenes, Supervisor Steve Taylor has not always stood by the narrative he pushed in public. In conversations with different individuals, he admitted facts that cut to the heart of the conspiracy.

To one person, Taylor confessed that he actually felt sorry for all he had done to me once he knew the truth and everything she said was a lie. It was a striking admission from someone who had been instrumental in orchestrating the restraining order and amplifying the complaints that followed.

To others, Taylor described her in harsh terms, calling her “crazy,” “fake,” and dismissing her when she cried and “blabbered.” He told multiple individuals he hated when “her makeup got all over me when she continually cried.” Most revealing of all, Taylor explained to multiple individuals that “it all started when I realized she was cheating on me — I caught her twice.”

These private comments reinforce what the documentary record already shows: the restraining order and the prosecution it fueled were not about legitimate threats or harassment. They were based on contrived stories Taylor himself later admitted were untrue. His regret and candid remarks expose what the legal filings make plain: the restraining order was false from the beginning, and everything that flowed from it — police reports, citations, convictions — was retaliation built on a lie.

Legal Nuances from the Motion to Dismiss

The Motion to Dismiss and Supplemental Request for Relief in South Milwaukee Municipal Court argue that while the citation was rooted in Eichmann’s complaint, the case is riddled with legal defects and Brady violations.

1. No Legal Basis

• The citation listed no conduct, time, or location.

• Officer Elm admitted in his report there were “no direct threats.”

➡️ A subjective “feeling threatened” by a blog cannot justify a criminal or municipal charge.

2. Withholding of Police Reports

• The Oct. 13–14, 2024 Franklin police report was withheld for nearly six months, only provided in April 2025.

• ADA Witte nonetheless used it at the Oct. 24 bond hearing.

• The business alliance employee already had knowledge of its contents and cited them at the October 224, 2024 bond hearing.

➡️ The defense was denied timely access while complainants were armed with evidence.

3. Suppression of Audio/Video Recordings

• Franklin police claimed no recordings existed.

• Only one video was produced (showing Elm with Eichmann) and multiple videos of the police at my house, but no recordings of Nelson, Eichmann, or Taylor’s Oct. 15, 2024 meetings have ever been released.

➡️ This selective suppression deprived the defense of critical evidence.

4. False Statement by Officer Elm

• Elm told Eichmann he had “warned” me about bail jumping.

• Bodycam and reports prove he never gave such a warning.

➡️ This false claim deprived me of notice and the chance to respond.

5. Selective Disclosure to Complainant

• The business alliance employee testified at the Oct. 24 hearing about a blog phrase never directed at her.

• Her knowledge came from reports withheld from the defense.

➡️ Prosecutors and police equipped the complainant while disarming the defense.

6. Bad Faith and Retaliatory Intent

• Nelson at ICC: “The DA would not be on a state charge but we will get him on a municipal charge.” (Audio Clip of Nelson's Comments)

• Taylor on Facebook:  Little does she know (Judge Hannah Dugan) he will serve his time and go right back to his fake news blog and continue his baseless (lies).”

➡️ Their own words show the citation’s purpose was to silence FCN reporting.

7. Relief Requested
The filings ask the South Milwaukee court to:

• Dismiss with prejudice

• Find bad faith and frivolous prosecution

• Award costs and fees

• Expunge or label the citation retaliatory

• Refer Nelson, Taylor, Vincent, and Eichmann to the DA for charges.

📌 The filings conclude that Eichmann’s complaint was merely a political pretext — weaponized by allies and sustained by misconduct, not by law.

📂 Evidence Timeline: From Complaint to Citation

Oct. 13–14, 2024

• Franklin Police draft report based on Eichmann’s complaint that she felt threatened by the blog phrase “for the greater good.”

• Legal flaw: Report itself admits “no direct threats.” (Withheld from defense for nearly 6 months).

Oct. 15, 2024

• Nelson, Eichmann, and Taylor meet with Franklin Police.

• Legal flaw: No audio/video recordings ever produced despite being referenced in reports — classic Brady violation.

Oct. 24, 2024 – Morning

• ADA Witte introduces withheld police report at a bond hearing, trying to remand me.

• Legal flaw: Defense didn’t have the report; complainant already knew and testified about it.

Oct. 24, 2024 – 3:34 p.m.

• Franklin issues disorderly conduct citation while I am still in court.

• Legal flaw: Citation lists no conduct, time, or location — pre-drafted, not based on new facts.

Oct. 25, 2024

• ADA Letsch marks the citation “no process.”

• Legal flaw: Even prosecutors deemed it invalid.

Nov. 22, 2024

• Citation resurfaces in victim impact statement as if it were valid.

• Legal flaw: Voided citation used to create false narrative of ongoing violations.

Dec. 2024

• Judge Dugan sentences me to jail over Christmas.

• Legal flaw: Aligns with Eichmann’s prior statement at St. Martin’s Festival that Taylor was “working to make sure Busalacchi is in jail over Christmas.”

Apr. 2025

• Defense finally receives the Oct. 13–14, 2024 police report.

• Legal flaw: Withheld for nearly 6 months, long after it had already been weaponized in court.

Why South Milwaukee, Not Franklin

Originally, the case was in Franklin Municipal Court. Judge Georgia Konstantakis withdrew, citing a conflict of interest: her 2025 judicial campaign was supported by Nelson, Taylor and Eichmann.

With Franklin’s bench compromised, the case was reassigned to South Milwaukee Municipal Court, where dismissal motions are now pending.

The Fight in Court

• South Milwaukee Motions: Dismissal with prejudice and supplemental relief.

• Appeal in Madison: Challenging the conviction and restraining order on grounds of retaliation and due process violations.

• Civil Remedies in Milwaukee: Pursuing defamation, malicious prosecution, employment interference, and abuse of process.

Why It Matters

As Nelson and Eichmann once admitted at the September 17, 2024 meeting of the Franklin Common Council:

“FCN is fake news and we cannot get them for slander, but we are working on other ways to get them.”  (Video of Comments)

The restraining order, false police reports, citation, conviction, employment interference, and even judicial bias were those “other ways.”

This was never about safety. It was a conspiracy to silence dissent and punish a journalist for speaking truth to power.

Conclusion

The phrase “for the greater good” was never a threat. It was a line in a blog post — misinterpreted, inflated, and weaponized by officials who saw a chance to twist words into a weapon. In the end, what they called threatening was really just inconvenient: journalism that exposed misconduct.

The greater good was never their goal. It was the excuse they used to silence dissent, bend the law, and punish free speech. 

Franklin's REAL News Source.  Exercising our freedom of speech without fear of retribution or retaliation by Franklin's elected officials.  

FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF FRANKLIN