Green Bay Press-Gazette Editorial Board

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt has agreed to plead guilty to three misdemeanor charges of violating state campaign finance laws.

These charges in and of themselves would not disqualify him from being mayor of Green Bay, but the lengths he went to hide mistakes, deceive the public and finesse the law do.

In this case, we call for Jim Schmitt to resign as mayor.

Schmitt was accused of accepting illegal campaign donations and falsifying information on his campaign finance reports.

On Wednesday, after an investigation that lasted over a year, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed three criminal charges against the mayor: an attempt to make false statements to an election official, an attempt to accept campaign contributions not belonging to a contributor and an attempt to accept campaign contributions in excess of limits.

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Each one of these is a felony offense, but under the plea deal, by calling each count an “attempt” to break election laws, Schmitt pleads guilty to three Class A misdemeanors instead of felonies.

Bruce Landgraf, the Milwaukee County assistant district attorney who conducted the investigation, outlined the agreement in a letter to Schmitt’s attorney. “Upon Mr. Schmitt’s plea of guilty to the charges contained in the complaint, I will recommend a disposition that does not include jail or probation,” Landgraf wrote.

That’s a good deal for Schmitt, but not for the citizens of Green Bay.

It adds to the reputation of a dysfunctional city government as the mayor and his critics on the City Council have feuded to the point of yelling, swearing and bickering at public meetings.

Even if you can set aside those power struggles, you can’t ignore a criminal complaint that shows deliberate attempts to get around the law when donors made contributions that exceeded limits.

These were not honest mistakes, but concerted efforts to cover one’s tracks.

If a donor gives you a $5,000 check, which exceeds the $1,040 maximum, you return it. If you erroneously accepted it, then you return it when your error is pointed out. That’s an honest mistake.

You don’t keep it and then list five separate $1,000 donations from the donor and four of his family members. That’s deceit.

It’s a lie that Schmitt had a part in. A campaign worker filled out the campaign finance form but left the names blank. “The candidate, Jim Schmitt, however, filled in the name column,” the complaint said.

If you receive two $25 donations from a corporation, which, again, is against the law, when you realize your misstep, or it’s brought to your attention, you return the donations. That’s correcting an honest mistake.

To keep the money and fudge the campaign finance forms is dishonest. In this case, Schmitt accepted two donations from a corporation, Cantilever Studios. On a campaign finance report there were no donations listed from Cantilever Studios, but there were two donations made on the same days for the same amount from “CS.” That report was later amended and Schmitt wrote the name of his brother, “Carl Schmitt,” below “CS.”

Those are only two of the examples, but the criminal complaint shows Schmitt was involved in the deception. They were moves by an elected official who tried to skirt the law instead of returning the funds and risk getting nothing.

It was a ruse to keep two $25 donations.

One of the puzzling aspects of the case is he didn’t need the money. Schmitt ended up with more than $25,000 in the bank after his re-election bid. He didn’t need the $50.

That’s what troubles us the most.

Schmitt was willing to falsify reports in an attempt to keep his office. It’s not like he overlooked something or was ignorant of the law. When informed of the mistakes, he tried to mislead the public.

We can’t accept such deceptive behavior from the top city official, who should be held to a higher standard.

It erodes the public’s trust. In a presidential election year when voters are presented with two candidates whose ethics they question, we’d like to think that on the local level we can count on our leaders to do the right thing.

Sadly, that’s not the case here.

As is often the case in government, the cover-up is worse than the crime. Campaign finance errors by themselves generally don’t rise to the level of needing to resign, but the mayor’s subsequent cover-up and attempts to mislead do.

Schmitt has done great things for this city.

He has been the city’s biggest cheerleader. But more than that, he has followed that up with action. The biggest and most impressive success has been how he has helped transform the downtown into a vital part of the city. It is a destination now and not an area to be avoided. We understand that the downtown doesn’t represent all of Green Bay, but it is an important part of any vibrant city looking to attract businesses and professionals, and to keep them from leaving.

Green Bay has become a better place to live in the time Jim Schmitt has been mayor.

However, the ends don’t always justify the means, and in this case the mayor crossed a line. When confronted with a problem, he tried to bury it instead of addressing it.

He must resign because of the monumentally poor judgment and dishonesty he displayed. Doing so will allow the city to continue to move forward.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette is part of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.