Opinion ID: 3003776
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The EVA Ordinance and Election

Text: In addition to improperly selling and financing city‐owned property, Kaye alleges Defendants engaged in misconduct stemming from the enactment of a zoning ordinance in the East Village Neighborhood. D’Amato and Kohler worked with EVA directors to enact the Conservation Overlay District Ordinance (“the Ordinance”), a restrictive historical preservation zoning ordinance governing the East Village Neighborhood, which prohibits replatting lots or renovating or building homes that look dissimilar from the lots and houses around them. East Village residents who opposed the ordinance spoke against it at a June 8, 2004 EVA meeting. Tensions surrounding the Ordinance continued, and in an undated incident, D’Amato allegedly removed a “No Overlay District Ald. D’Amato” sign from Ordinance opposition spokesperson Jill Bondar’s yard, followed up with a telephone message informing her that he had taken the sign, and told her the Department of Public Works, the division of the City that employs Bondar, was looking for whomever posted the sign. Kaye alleges D’Amato acted with the intent to intimidate or threaten Bondar in order to prevent her from protesting the EVA’s and D’Amato’s actions with respect to the Ordinance. In the next EVA Board election, property owners who disapproved of the incumbent EVA directors supported their preferred candidates. Kaye alleges that Kohler, D’Amato, Ferguson and Christopherson fraudulently schemed via e‐mail to have their own candidates elected over the objection of the majority. The alleged purpose of this scheme was to ensure that D’Amato and Kohler maintained control of the EVA, which would allow them to continue favorable treatment to preferred developers. The alleged scheme was executed by changing the voting method from the simple majority vote required by the EVA bylaws, to a single transferable voting method. To change the voting method, Kaye alleges that Ferguson sent a single e‐mail stating: “We need to vote in this order for At Large nominations: 1 Mark, 2 Todd, 3 Ginger, 4 Norbert – do not deviate from that order. DO NOT vote for anyone else.” He also alleges that the neighborhood association was not informed of the new voting method until No. 09-1091 4 minutes before the election. The new neighborhood association’s inaugural meeting was held on November 2, 2005. Although the meeting was announced as a public meeting to address matters of public concern and was held in a public building, three Milwaukee police officers and Ferguson’s son allegedly stood at the entrance of the building in order to keep unidentified “disfavored citizens” from entering the meeting. Kaye contends that the officers threatened these unidentified residents with arrest if they tried to enter the meeting. He further alleges that D’Amato’s aide, Sam Rowen, was witness to the incident. Kaye makes numerous other allegations, but they either are not relevant under his RICO or WOCCA claims, do not implicate any Defendants, or do not evidence predicate acts.