Set Athelstane Recall Election For June 19

Recall fever is growing to epidemic proportions in the Town of Athelstane. At the regularly scheduled monthly board meeting on Wednesday, May 9, the board by 2 to 1 vote approved holding an election on Tuesday, June 19 for possible recall of Town Chairman Charles Wutkowski and Supervisor Harry Meetz.

Then, on Thursday, May 10, petitions calling for an election for possible recall of Supervisor Bill Jose, Clerk Janice DuChateau and Treasurer Greg Reinhart were turned in to DuChateau. Those petitions, containing a total of 73 signatures, are currently being certified. A minimum of 67 signatures of eligible voters are required to force a recall.

Mike Gavigan, who was a candidate for supervisor in the April 2011 election and lost to Jose by one vote, had signed a notice of intent to circulate recall petitions and filed it with the Government Accountability Board (GAB) in Madison on March 22. He, Meetz and Harriet Ivanis (a member of the Plan Commission and the town’s Elections Board) signed as circulators of the recall petitions that were turned in to DuChateau on Thursday.

DuChateau said she is in the process of certifying the signatures. DuChateau has 31 days to certify the petitions. She and the other two targets of this set of recall petitions had 10 days to file challenges, which would make their deadline Monday, May 21. If there are 67 bona fide signatures no irregularities the board will have to set a date for still another recall election.

This means Athelstane residents will have the recall election challenging Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday, June 5; the recall challenging Wutkowski and Meetz on Tuesday, June 19, and possibly a recall challenging Jose, Reinhardt and DuChateau some time in July.

Campaigning has not begun, but the fight is getting ugly. An anonymous letter mailed to selected recipients in Athelstane last week includes among other things a report of an accidental shooting in which Jose was involved 65 years ago - in 1947, when he was 17 years old. He was fully exonerated by the words of the dying victim, but that was not explained in the anonymous letter. Kathy Hennessey said at Wednesday’s board meeting during the discusion of complaints about the appearance of Meetz’ sawmill that someone had punctured her car tires there, and there were reports that someone had ruined Meetz’ insulin by throwing it into a snow bank.

To date there are no official challengers for any of the recall attempts, but there are unconfirmed reports that former chairman John Dobratz will run against Wutkowski, seeking return to the chairmanship he lost by one vote in April of 2011, and that Harold Tesch, an unsuccessful candidate for supervisor in 2011, will run against Meetz.

Back in March Tesch had filed a statement of intent to circulate recall petitions against Meetz, alleging misconduct in office and conduct unbecoming to an elected town supervisor. Thomas A. Oldenburg had filed a statement of intent to circulate recall petitions against Wutkowski, alleging dereliction of duty, abuse of authority and mismanagement of town tax dollars. Those petitions were turned in with a total of 125 certified valid signatures for recall of Wutkowski and 119 certified valid signatures for recall of Meetz. The recall petitions were offered for filing on Friday, April 13, and officially certified by DuChateau on Wednesday, April 25.

A special town board meeting to act on the recall petitions was scheduled for Friday, April 27, but only one of the three board members - Jose - was there. DuChateau said Wutkowski had told her he could not be there because of a family emergency “and Harry just didn’t show up.” Since there was no quorum there was no meeting. DuChateau placed the recall motion on the agenda for May 9.

The May 9 Town Board meeting opened to a crowd of more than 60 townspeople, with three uniformed deputies from Marinette County Sheriff’s Department on hand.

“This is a public meeting. Act accordingly,” Deputy Bob Amundsen admonished the crowd. “No cussing. No threatening. This is a hot topic. There will be zero tolerance. This applies to everybody - the crowd and those behind the podium!”

Wutkowski announced that public notices for the meeting were all properly posted. He opened the meeting for public input. First to speak from the floor was Tom Oldenburg, who declared, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!...It seems ludicrous... There’s even talk of abandoning the fire department!”

Wutkowski assured him the board had never suggested abandoning the fire department.

Oldenburg said the board had fired good people, attorney fees are out of sight, town employees were using town equipment for personal business, and both the town board and the audience had been using abusive language at town meetings. “That behavior is completely unprofessional and brings this town to a level it doesn’t need to be,” he declared. He said attorney fees are running rampant, and taxpayers are paying unemployment fees that shouldn’t have to be paid. He said it is embarrassing when people come into his store in Amberg and make jokes about things that are going on in Athelstane.

“You guys are embarrassing the town and tearing it apart,” he declared. “The people have spoken... I will ask personally for your retirement ... Save the town a lot of money and step down!”

Next speaker was a lady who suggested the circulators had not properly explained the petitions before asking people to sign.

Ivanis displayed a printout of a lengthy report of a sheriff’s department investigation into the situation surrounding an anonymous letter back in November.

She mentioned other letters, and objected to comments from a Peshtigo Times reporter that some were typed in the same font and were probably written by the same person. “Why is the Peshtigo Times reporter telling people what he’s thinking?” she demanded. “He is to report the news. If he can’t be unbiased, maybe they should send someone else!”

She charged there was a lot of back stabbing, and declared, “It’s like a bunch of kids in Romper room...If you five can’t get along, how can the rest of the town get along?”

Wutkowski asked Ivanis to give a copy of the investigation report to the clerk so it can be placed on file with the minutes and be made available to anyone who wants to see it.

There was a question on the missing computer. Wutkowski said they had not been certain if it was misplaced or stolen. Reinhardt agreed it was not confirmed missing until the meeting last month. Apparently the loss will now be reported.

Someone asked if the town had cleaned up Blueberry Hill off Fire Lane Road, and Meetz said they had. He had called County Forester John Scott in regard to cleaning it up, and was told they were busy. He then asked if the town could do the cleanup and was told they could so they did.

Harold Tesch asked if anything had been done regarding “the complaint about that eyesore on County C,” and asked if there were different rules for a town supervisor.

Wutkowski said he and Jose were going to go to the property (which apparently belongs to Meetz) but was told that because they are members of the board, if they went together it would be against the rules. Any other two townspeople could go, or one of them could go with anyone else, “but if Bill and I go, we broke the rules.”

To further challenges about his property, Meetz offered to provide the name of his lawyer, and suggested anyone with questions should give him a call. “Enlighten me,” he went on, “What is dirty about my sawmill?”

“It’s a mess,” someone from the audience told him. “You have a mobile home without a permit.”

Someone else suggested he should either clean it up or put a fence around it “so it looks decent.”

Someone else asked about enforcement of town ordinances and asked why the town attorney was not present.

“Call the attorney yourself,” Wutkowski replied. He said everyone complains about the expense when he calls.

“You’ve already spent $5,000, what’s another couple hundred dollars?” someone commented.

Another speaker from the floor said if he has old trucks and other vehicles on his property and someone complains that it’s an eyesore, he has to clean it up.

Jose said according to the ordinance it’s up to the town board to look at the property and make a decision, and added, “at the last meeting I talked to Harry and he agreed to clean it up.”

Another individual said his neighbor had old cars and trucks and someone came and told him to clean it up and he had to do it. “If no one can enforce the law, that’s the end of society,” he declared. He said the board tells other people what to do, but will not enforce the ordinance on themselves.

Meetz replied there is no zoning in Athelstane.

“There’s nothing wrong with the property,” Kathy Hennessey declared. “Nobody needs to come on our farm and tell us how to live!”

Meetz said his vehicles are old, but they are licensed and he uses them. He mentioned two old trucks and a 1980 Case tractor. As to the mobile home, he uses it to store lumber and tools. “There’s no plumbing and no one can live in it.”

Someone from the audience thought there was a state statute that limits the number of vehicles in a yard without a salvage license.

Reinhardt said the state has no law that the vehicles must be licensed, but they must start and move, or it becomes a salvage yard.

Moving along to regular business of the meeting, Reinhardt announced that on Monday, June 11 someone from a recycling program will come and pick up old refrigerators and such. If they run, they pay $30.

Fire Chief Scott Durian reported the department was called to a small fire on Park Lane and a car versus tree accident on County C. The department had CPR training in April and SCBA training in May.

Jose read the Plan Commission minutes of a meeting on Tuesday, May 1. There were no variances or Certified Survey maps to bring to the board.

Reinhardt’s treasurer’s report was accepted without discussion.

Three bids were received for gravel crushing, and the board agreed unanimously to award the contract to low bidder Mike’s Materials of Green Bay, at $24,800 for 10,000 yards, or $1.85 per ton. He can start in about two weeks. The other bids were from Iron City Enterprises for $2.34 per ton and Peters Concrete for $1.98 per ton.

Wutkowski proposed changing the ordinance on official places to post meeting notices. One provision would have replaced the posting at Northwoods Bar with one at the fire station nearby. Firemen objected that vehicles pulling in and out tend to tear up the parking lot. On motion by Jose, seconded by Meetz, decision was to have official postings in the entry hall of Northwoods Bar, on the bulletin board at the town hall, at the post office on Hwy. C and at Athelstane Country Mart. Plan Commission meetings notices are to be posted in the same places.

Next came the thorny subject of the recall elections. Jose, reading from the minutes, moved to call a recall election for Wutkowski and Meetz, “to be held on the Tuesday of the 6th week commencing after the date on which the clerk issues the Certificates of Sufficiency and files the petitions with the town board of the Town of Athelstane...” The certificates of sufficiency were filed by DuChateau on Wednesday, April 25.

Meetz declared he would not second the motion.

Wutkowski called again for a second, and said since there was no second the motion died.

“Let’s settle this recall, there’s no way out,” Jose urged.

“You’re putting yourselves in the position of misconduct in office...That is a felony,” Reinhardt admonished when there still was no second. He said a felony could mean prison.

With a comment, “I’ll play their game,” Meetz seconded. He and Jose voted in favor of the motion and Wutkowski voted no. Election was set for Tuesday, June 19.

Next issue was money owed to Meetz for snow plowing during the last storm. Jose said the town has snow plow operators who were not called, and wondered why Meetz was out plowing.

Wutkowski said both gentlemen were called and were not available.

Jose said if Meetz is going to work for the town, the people have to set his wage. He thought a precedent to that effect was set many years ago but seldom used.

Wutkowski said DuChateau had spent seven hours researching old records back to 1975 and 1976 and could find nothing authorizing payment to supervisors.

“I cannot authorize a payment on it, and I don’t think the board can authorize it,” Wutkowski declared. “There are no records. They say it was done, but just because they made a mistake doesn’t mean we can, so I guess there’s nothing we can do.” There was no action.

With the provision that paperwork must be in hand assuring that the owner will be responsible for repairs in case of a breakdown, the board unanimously agreed to rent a bulldozer for a month from Fabco for $4,600. Meetz had handled the research leading to the agreement. Bids are not needed because the contract is below the $5,000 threshhold.

On motion by Jose, seconded by Meetz, the board approved a variance that allows Robert Walters to put his building on Melody Lane 10 feet from the lot line rather than 15 feet. He had a letter from the affected neighbor stating he has no problem with the variance.

A liquor license was approved for Michael J. Onkels for the Fire Lane Bar, pending surrender of license by the current license holder.

An operator’s license was approved for Hunter Nystrom.

After some discussion about a delinquent personal property tax bill of $85 a year for a hunting shack - owed since 2005-2006, for a total now of $756 with interest, the board agreed Reinhardt should write some letters and try again to work out an agreement for payment.

The meeting adjourned without incident at 8:10 p.m.

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