By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
The Waterford Town Board met in special session Tuesday morning to certify the validity of 695 signatures on a petition to recall Commissioner Bill Gerard from the Town of Waterford Sanitary District (WSD).
The 695 valid signatures are 164 more than the 531 required by the state to initiate a recall election for the WSD board.
As a result, town residents living in the Sanitary District will vote next month to either retain Gerard for the remaining three years in his term of office, or replace him.
The WSD recall election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 14 – the same date as state primaries for partisan office.
Former WSD Commissioner Dan Dickinson began the recall against Gerard, citing financial issues and attempts – since abandoned – to charge an additional fee to about 300 customers served by WSD-owned grinder pumps.
Any resident of the Sanitary District who is interested in running for Gerard’s position can begin circulating nominating papers Friday, July 6. A minimum of 20 valid signatures are needed.
Gerard, as the incumbent, does not need to circulate any papers, said Town Clerk Tina Mayer.
Nomination papers, the state campaign finance registration statement and a Declaration of Candidacy are due back at the town clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 17.
To date, only Dickinson has taken out the paperwork to her knowledge, Mayer said.
The required papers are available at the Town Hall or online at http://gab.wi.gov/forms.
The WSD recall election has complicated the required procedures needed as the Aug. 14 primary approaches.
To meet state-required deadlines, about 120 absentee ballots were mailed out to town residents last week, said Mayer. Most of those individuals live in the WSD.
As a result, soon after July 17, a special absentee paper ballot for the WSD recall election will be prepared at the direction of County Clerk Wendy Christensen and sent to those absentee voters living in WSD who earlier received the initial mailing.
Racine County will have the WSD recall election printed on the regular ballot issued to people who vote in person Aug. 14, said Mayer.
-
-
-
-
-