City council recall, Paris, Wisconsin (2016)

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Paris City Council recall
Officeholders
Virgil Gentz Ronald Kammerzelt Kenneth Monson
Recall status
Recall defeated
Recall election date
November 22, 2016
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in Wisconsin Wisconsin recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort in Paris, Wisconsin, to recall council members Virgil Gentz, Ronald Kammerzelt, and Kenneth Monson from their positions was launched in 2016. Recall organizers submitted a statement of intent to recall on May 13, 2016, and filed signed petitions with the town clerk on July 6, 2016. On August 5, 2016, Paris Town Clerk Beverly McCumber invalidated the petitions after concluding that the organizers used misleading statements to attract signatures. The Wisconsin Elections Commission ruled that McCumber's decision did not follow state recall laws on October 14, 2016. On October 19, 2016, the council scheduled the recall. The recall effort was defeated by voters.

Recall vote

A recall vote took place on November 22, 2016.

Town Board Chair of Paris, Wisconsin
Result		Votes	Prozentualer Anteil
Virgil Gentz (incumbent)		397	60.8%
Joe Kolnik		256	39.2%
Election results via: Town of Paris (Accessed: November 22, 2016)

Town Board Supervisor #1 for Paris, Wisconsin
Result		Votes	Prozentualer Anteil
Ron Kammerzelt (incumbent)		397	60.89%
Paul Terry		255	39.11%
Election results via: Town of Paris (Accessed: November 22, 2016)

Town Board Supervisor #2 for Paris, Wisconsin
Result		Votes	Prozentualer Anteil
Ken Monson (incumbent)		388	59.6%
Robert Fliess		263	40.4%
Election results via: Town of Paris (Accessed: November 22, 2016)

Recall supporters

Kolnik, Robert Fliess, and Paul Terry pursued a recall against three board members over concerns about a property transfer approved on April 7, 2016, but withdrawn by October 2016. The agreement in question would have transferred 2,500 acres near Interstate 94 to the neighboring town of Somers, with development revenues split between the two towns. Fliess told Kenosha News that the deal would have harmed his ability to develop or sell his property to nearby Kenosha. The council withdrew the transfer, opting to pursue an agreement involving additional parties.

The following statements were made by the recall organizers in a press release published on July 6, 2016:

Bob Fliess

"	What the town should have done is explain their proposal before it was agreed, and to allow residents to have a vote on it. When the Paris Town Board arrogantly threw out the referendum petition it was a real shock to everyone. Now they are even writing letters to everyone at our expense to try and re-write history and pretend they didn’t act like a bunch of authoritarians over a done deal.	”
—Bob Fliess (2016),

Joe Kolnik

"	Paul, Bob, and I have agreed that we will stand against the three Board Members on a platform of throwing out the agreement and making the Town Board more accountable. Paris isn’t a kingdom for three kings – it’s a community for three elected Paris Board Members who will listen to the people. This isn’t just about stopping the tax rise that everyone in Paris will get, it’s about less arrogance and more democracy and transparency. Why weren’t the people of Paris asked before the town board signed the agreement, and why did the board fail to act on so many requests for information for months? Their time ruling, rather than running, Paris is up.	”
—Joseph Kolnik (2016),

Paul Terry

"	The response to the petition that we have received on the doorsteps has been phenomenal. At first we thought that only those living within the land being annexed into Village of Somers would want to sign, but hundreds more have been in touch with us because they feel ignored and don’t want their taxpayer money handed over to Village of Somers, either.	”
—Paul Terry (2016),

Recall opponents

Kammerzelt told Kenosha News that recall supporters have the right to complain and pursue a recall, but that the property transfer would have saved property owners from higher taxes if Kenosha decided to annex the land.

Kammerzelt told West of the I that the council had provided proper notice for public meetings and held office hours prior to approval of the property transfer.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Wisconsin

Recall supporters needed a minimum of 202 valid signatures per targeted official from Paris residents who voted in the 2014 gubernatorial election. These signatures had to be submitted within 60 days of the statement of intent to recall. On July 6, 2016, organizers submitted 297 signatures for Monson, 296 signatures for Kammerzelt, and 293 signatures for Gentz to the town clerk.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Paris Town Board 2016 recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

City council recall, Paris, Wisconsin (2016) - Google News

See also

• Recall campaigns in Wisconsin
• Political recall efforts, 2016
• City council recalls

External links

Suggest a link

• Town of Paris, Wisconsin