Wood County Wisconsin Polluters' Lobby Working Against Citizens

Town of Saratoga, Wisconsin fights factory farm
in central Wisconsin

Secrecy and Corruption Define Wood County Republicans Protecting Ag Polluters

Violations of the Wisconsin Open Meeting and Open Records law mark Wood County Board (Wisconsin) Chair Lance Pliml and his polluters' lobby working against the families of Wood County.

Wood County clean-water advocates and the town government of Saratoga are working to stop a locally notorious polluter, the Wysocki corporation, from operating a massive, industrialized agricultural factory that would inject toxic liquid cow manure into central Wisconsin's environment, "producing as much [untreated] waste as a city with a population of 106,000 people every single day," (Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors).

Clean water advocates want protection of their drinking and surface waters.

No, says the polluters' lobby, many of whom are Republicans in Wood County county government.

Reports Jonathan Anderson in the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin this week:

Bolstering regulations against water contamination has proved once again to be a highly charged topic among members of the Wood County Board.

The board on Tuesday considered a draft ordinance aimed at penalizing people who contaminate ground and surface waters, partly in response to concerns about a proposed large-scale dairy in Saratoga.

But the measure did not pass and was instead referred to a committee for further consideration, drawing the ire of the legislation’s supporters.

Last year Lance Pliml and Republican allies objected to citizens attending a County Board meeting saying in part, "I think this is an attempt to put pressure on the committee for one point of view," (Madden, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune), (Mal Contends), after Pliml publicly said he discouraged citizen attendance.

Democracy escapes Pliml. And it's against Wisconsin's Open Meetings law to actively discourage and impede attendance of lawful meetings.

Pro-clean water citizens enjoy popular support, but a Republican operation working with Pliml is fighting the will of citizens. This Republican polluters' lobby demands citizens not come to public meetings and refuses open record requests, in violation of Wisconsin Open Meeting and Open Records laws.

For the privilege of forbidding local democracy, declining property values and the Wysocki corporation's new "forty-nine high capacity wells, capable of drawing 7.3 billion gallons of water from the groundwater aquifer annually," the polluters' lobby is promising to turn central Wisconsin into an economic moonscape, (Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors).

Wysocki owns another CAFO, contaminating water in adjacent Juneau County, (Anderson, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) (Mal Contends).

The Wysocki corporate family lives safely away in Custer, Wisconsin and runs operations some 20 miles north in Bancroft, Wisconsin so it's no skin off Wysocki's back if he economically and ecologically kills a region trying to make a come-back with tourism and recreation, (Mal Contends).

Wysocki is not part of the community, he's a parasite.

Criste Greening of Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors made an Open Records request to Wood County Board (Wisconsin) Chair Lance Pliml.

Greening was refused.

Pliml's Repulbican ally, Wood County Corporate Counsel Peter Kastenholz, advocates the dissolution of Wisconsin's Open Records law, (Anderson, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin).

Below is an edited reproduction of Greening's Open Records update sent to supporters this week:

Friends and Concerned Citizens,

Message 3 of 3

Where do I even begin to bring everyone up to speed on the Wood County Board/Chairman Pliml saga that has unfolded over the past month? I have attempted to form this email three times and each time my temper has gotten the best of me requiring yet another re-write.

As many of you are aware from previous emails shared, Wood County Board Chairman Lance Pliml was served a second (more specific) Open Records Request as a result of his ridiculous response to the first one.  If you missed that email feel free to get caught up HERE.

I have received a response to the second request.  In a nutshell, Chairman Pliml had Corporate Counsel Peter Kastenholz respond to my second Open Records Request stating that I had previously received all pertinent information and that Mr. Pliml was under no obligation to “Memorialize” conversations had with Attorneys regarding the [proposed] Operating Ordinance discussed.  Even though Mr. Pliml has shared publicly on two occasions that he would supply requested information, he now again refuses.

Mr. Pliml’s refusal to answer the simple question regarding who he had spoken to comes as no surprise to me or other members of our core group.  Many (including myself) have believed from the very beginning that Mr. Pliml had never truly discussed the [proposed] Operating Ordinance with anyone nor had he actually spoken to “some of the best Attorneys in the state”.  Mr Pliml’s initial response to the first Open Records Request lacked any documentation regarding the Operating Ordinance therefore proving clearly his lack of honesty and integrity.

One would think if Mr. Pliml, as an elected official, had really gone the extra mile for his constituents he would be more than willing to share the information gathered and willingly discuss conversations had.  Chairman Plim instead hides behind Corporate Counsel and refuses to share said information.  The reason is simple - he has nothing to share and never has.

I personally am done dealing with Chairman Pliml and need to stop myself here as I have nothing nice to say regarding his character, ethics, integrity, or professionalism.  I do ask that if you are as irritated as I am with this situation that you share your feelings freely with Chairman Pliml and the entire Wood County Board ... .

Thank you all for your continued support.

Criste Greening