Zoerner sues County Division of Human Resources to block release of personnel file | Local News

Republican Kenosha County Sheriff candidate David Zoerner filed a suit against the Kenosha County Division of Human Resources to block the release of information from his county personnel file after a public information request was made by the Kenosha Cares Coalition.

GOP candidate for Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner, seen speaking at a recent panel discussion about the 2020 unrest, has filed a suit against Kenosha County to prevent a group from gaining access to his personnel records.

KENOSHA NEWS FILE PHOTO

In the suit, Zoerner, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department, said his files included personal information such as his address and “other personal identifying information” that could endanger his family if released. He accused the coalition of being a “dark-money hate group,” that had been fined for campaign violating finance laws in the past.

The Kenosha Cares Coalition is a Kenosha group that has been active in past local elections.

In 2014, the coalition was fined $2,302.50 for a series of mailings sent to homes in the Kenosha Unified School District and radio ads aired during the run up to School Board elections. The state found the coalition had erred in failing to file an oath for independent disclosures as required by law, failing to register and failing to properly identify a treasurer.

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Representatives with the coalition could not be reached for comment.

Zoerner said a county staff member notified him of the request.

While Zoerner said he was fine with releasing much of the information included in the files, he took issue with the anonymity surrounding the group, saying he “wanted to know who they are.”

“I’ll release it myself,” Zoerner said. “Whatever discipline I had, whatever info is in my file.”

Clara-lin Tappa, director of the Division of Human Resources who is named in the suit, could not be reached for comment Friday.

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