A disorderly conduct charge against Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, is yet again receiving public scrutiny after a strongly worded statement from Madison Mayor Paul Soglin called for the representative to apologize to city employees.

Hulsey pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge after being cited on a local beach July 4. Police said Hulsey flipped a 9-year-old boy from an inner tube and took pictures of the boy after Hulsey was out of the water.

Hulsey told the Associated Press he did not touch the boy and took a picture of the children while attempting to take a scenic picture of a sailboat on the water. Hulsey also said he had told the boy to not splash the other children.

According to Soglin’s statement, the boy was related to a city employee, and Soglin has known about the issue since the day after the incident, although he only recently found out through media coverage that Hulsey had pleaded no contest to the charge.

The mayor said Hulsey has been making “reckless suggestions” that Soglin’s political interests might have played a part in Hulsey being charged. Hulsey had previously said that his support of former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz was cause for what Hulsey said are politicized charges.

“Brett Hulsey owes city employees, particularly the Madison employees, particularly the Madison Police Department, the City Attorney’s Office and my office an apology for suggesting that anyone would compromise their professional standards or integrity in order to see him cited,” Soglin said in the statement.

Soglin said Hulsey “neither merits nor deserves special treatment.” Soglin added a lifeguard told a city official in 2008 that the lifeguard was “uncomfortable with Hulsey’s presence at a city beach.”

Hulsey declined comment on Soglin’s statement.

Jonathan Dedering, a Green Party candidate and Hulsey’s opponent in his re-election race, said he believes the incident is an example of what he called Hulsey’s “bad decision-making.” He added he believes Soglin should apologize to the police for accusing them of corruption.

“I don’t see how a legislator could be so bold in trying to defend his actions,” Dedering said. “This entire situation is absurd and really goes to show the type of person Rep. Hulsey really is.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.