Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
The controversy surrounding the Clintonville Common Council took another turn recently when a recall effort was launched against Fourth District Alderman Greg Rose, who was elected to a two-year term in April 2013.
Wm. Van Daalwyk filed a statement of intent to circulate a petition to recall Rose with the city clerk’s office on July 17. Van Daalwyk said Rose’s actions have proved to be hostile to business and industry in Clintonville, and have incited divisiveness within the community. He also said Rose breached his fiduciary duty by voting to replace a competent municipal attorney with an inexperienced relative of two council members.
“I feel this is a knee-jerk reaction to the investigation leveled at the city administrator, and one has to be in office a year before you can be recalled,” Rose said. “The other aldermen involved are new and not eligible for a recall.”
To recall Rose, Van Daalwyk has 60 days to collect signatures equal to at least 25 percent of the votes cast in the district in the last gubernatorial election. That number was not available Friday. The city clerk’s office then has 31 days to determine whether signatures on the petition are valid. Rose would have 10 days to challenge the decision.
If all requirements are determined to have been met, a recall election would be held six weeks after the clerk certifies and files the petition with the state Government Accountability Board.
The recall effort is the latest in a series of conflicts within the council since the April election, when three incumbents were defeated.
• In April, the new council rejected Mayor Judith Magee’s reappointment of Tim Schmid to the city attorney position and instead one month later hired April Dunlavy, daughter of Alderwoman Gloria Dunlavy and niece of Alderwoman Jeanne Schley.
• The council on May 13 voted to suspend City Administrator Lisa Kotter, with pay, pending an investigation into alleged misconduct.
• An attorney was hired to investigate the allegations against Kotter and later made a presentation to the council in closed session, but the allegations have not been discussed publicly. The council also has not discussed the allegations with Kotter, refusing her request to meet with council members.
• The council voted 6-4 on May 27 to extend Kotter’s suspension and refer allegations of misconduct to the city’s labor attorney.
• Magee vetoed the council’s May 27 vote on June 2, and Kotter returned to work.
• On June 10, the council, with a 6-4 vote, failed to override Magee’s veto, falling one vote short of the required supermajority and prompting the disgruntled council members to pass a no-confidence vote against Magee.
• On July 8, the council voted 7-3 Tuesday to indefinitely place Lisa Kotter on administrative leave, with pay.
Many city residents spoke in support of Kotter and Magee at the council’s June meeting, which had to be moved from City Hall to the Community Center because of the overflow crowd, and again at the July meeting.
Rose’s wife, Tricia, ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for mayor in the April election after failing to file her nomination papers on time.