WATERTOWN, S.D.(KXLG)- Watertown Councilman Colin Paulsen files a lawsuit against the City of Watertown for failure to uphold an ordinance he says was broken by his opponent Lee Schoenbeck, for State Senator, during the campaign period.
KXLG News reached out to Colin directly for his comments.
Paulsen states in the affidavit that the signs do not follow the ordinance and have photos attached. Paulsen is seeking compensation for his investment in advertising and the potential salary he would make if elected.
Councilman Paulsen talks about a recent case between a local business owner and the City of Watertown.
Paulsen closed the interview in a way to ensure his true intentions were understood.
Colin’s affidavit says he spent approximately $5,000 on advertising costs and potentially two year’s of salary; he is also requesting an additional $10,000 for punitive damages, equaling $46,741.40.
Since it was Senator Lee Schoenbeck’s signs that were in question, KXLG News reached out to Senator Schoenbeck to see if the City of Watertown ever reached out to him to have him abide by the ordinance. At that time, Lee was unavailable. We will update the story as soon as we can speak with him.
We reached out to City Manager Amanda Mack because Colin stated in his affidavit “I had a planned meeting with Watertown City Manager for May 10th, 2022. During this meeting, I requested that the City of Watertown enforce the City Ordinance to maintain structure, fairness, and equality during a fundamental and important election. I was informed at this meeting again that the City of Watertown did not have a Code Enforcement Officer and there was fear of a lawsuit being filed.”