Three failed candidates for office in Valley City, N.D., don't think a city official received a harsh enough punishment for what they call a smear campaign.
City Administrator Dave Johnson was suspended for two weeks without pay for his possible role in a fake Web site that linked one candidate to the Ku Klux Klan and simulated another to appear like Adolph Hitler.
Bob Drake, who unsuccessfully ran for city commissioner, said the punishment is "absolutely nothing compared to what [Johnson] did."
"That's basically saying that the Valley City Commission supports the Ku Klux Klan by not firing that guy," he said. "They totally lost all credibility with the city."
While Johnson has not admitted to creating the Web site, the suspension came after commissioners - during a closed meeting Monday night - deemed his conduct was "unbecoming to a municipal employee," according to City Attorney Nicholas Simonson.
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Johnson wouldn't comment Tuesday on his suspension.
His suspension will from Feb. 1 to Feb. 14.
Drake, Lloyd Nelson and LeRoy Neubauer claim Mayor Mary Lee Nielson and City Commissioner Jon Wager were also involved with the Web site. Wager denied the accusation Tuesday.
"I think there's an element of sour grapes there," he said, adding that the bad blood stems from a property value reassessment from 2004.
Simonson said an internal investigation concluded the site was not operated on during city work time or created using city resources.
The investigation also found the mayor was not involved with the site's creation or maintenance, he said.
Nielson did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
Neubauer called Johnson's punishment a "slap on the wrist." He thinks Johnson should have been fired.
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Nelson agreed, saying the experience will keep him from running for office again and that the punishment will just make Johnson "think he can do a lot more."
"It's terribly disturbing that a city official would stoop to that level, down in the slime, to degrade someone," he said.
Wager, who was among the four of five commissioners who voted to suspend Johnson, said he believes the punishment correct.
"Anything less than that may not have sent the appropriate message and anything more than that would have put the city in a tough spot," he said.
Commissioner Steve Ondracek, who Wager said voted against the suspension, did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
Drake gave the Valley City Police Department a statement Tuesday morning asking for a criminal investigation into potential election fraud, saying the Web site was intended to "corrupt the election practices" in the city, according to his attorney Russ Myhre.
As of Tuesday, no charges had been filed.
Readers can reach Forum reporter
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Brittany Lawonn at (701) 241-5541
