Bloomington District Four Council Candidate John Wyatt Danenberger and local media remain silent about a United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals case heard in 2017.
Danenberger, according to the US military, lied, missed a hearing, disobeyed orders, deflected blame, lacked candor, and breached standards while in the army.
Three military judges signed off on documents that detail how Danenberger did all these things.
“I have never met him,” said Sheila Montney, a current Bloomington council member. “During this campaign process, many candidates will reach out and make introductions and ask for advice. As to why this story hasn’t been picked up by other news outlets…I can’t answer that question. I think it is a fair question.”
Montney said Steven Nalefski is an excellence choice. Nalefski is Danenberger’s opponent.
Danenberger was suppose to represent a victim as Special Victims Counsel at a hearing but he falsely told the trial counsel and his client he would be unable to attend the hearing because of a mandatory Special Victims Counsel training in Washington, DC.
Special Victims’ Counsel provide legal representation to qualifying victims of sexual assault. SVCs primary duty is to zealously represent the best interests of clients.
According to documents, Danenberger falsely told the SVC program manager he could not attend the SVC training because he would be at the hearing. Danenberger missed the court hearing because he was in fact in Majorca, Spain, on leave with his family.
Danenberger tried to deflect blame by breaching his duties to his client by implying his client had been untruthful in her testimony.
Local media has been quiet unlike the election in 2021.
Nick Becker, who ran for council in 2021, had face criticism from District 87 students, parents and residents for having a Jon Reed political signs in his yard.
Local media coverage of Becker in 2021
Jon Reed ran for District 87 school board and posted memes about black people and women that local media called “racist and misogynist” and “unsavory.”
Cities has exclusively reported on Danenberger’s conduct and the primary documents from the US military. Cities also covered Jon Reed’s withdrawal and how the NAACP reacted to the memes posted on Reed’s social media.
Danenberger has blocked Cities from viewing his John Wyatt Danenberger for Bloomington Ward 4 Facebook page since publishing the story about the US military documents.
