(WTAQ-WLUK) — Submitting petition signatures to the Winneconne School District’s administrative assistant was appropriate, organizers of a school board recall effort argue.
Corey Zeller and Martin Brethouwer have filed an appeal with the Wisconsin Elections Commission after school board clerk Kari Flagg deemed the petitions invalid because physical copies were never provided to her.
The petitions seek to force a recall election of school board president Kati Calewarts and vice president Dean Ackmann. Organizers said they collected more than 2,300 signatures against each board member, more than the 1,475 required.
In the appeal, Zeller and Brethouwer’s attorney wrote:
As set forth in the Complaint, Flagg as the School Board Clerk does not maintain any separate offices, and for decades all persons who have filed election materials relating to the WCSD have done so by filing them with the District’s Administrative Assistant. To that end, the WCSD School Board just last year approved a job description for the District Administrative Assistant, which includes: “Implement all aspects of school board elections and referendums. Assumes responsibility of the District Clerk in ballot preparation, canvassing, notices and publications, and certifying elections.”
Flagg has until Nov. 3 to respond to the WEC.
In announcing her denial of the petitions earlier this month, Flagg wrote:
“Digital affectations of the registration documents were attached to the email, but the physical originals were never provided or offered to me,” wrote Flagg, who also noted that “Wisconsin law is quite specific regarding recall of an elected official.”
The WEC will make a decision in the case at an upcoming meeting.
