Recall efforts in final days

By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

Efforts to recall Shawano School Board members Chuck Dallas and Michael Sleeper are in the home stretch, but community members heading the effort are uncertain about whether they’ll have enough signatures by the July 25 deadline.

There are at least 1,200 signatures on petitions to recall both men, according to Shawano resident Bobbi Lemerond, but there must be a minimum of 1,829 valid signatures of residents in the Shawano School District in order to trigger an election. Once the petitions are turned in, the filing officer has 31 days to determine the sufficiency of the petition and also that it meets all necessary requirements. Following this review, the filing officer must attach to the petition either a certificate of sufficiency or of insufficiency, allowing at least 10 days for the officeholder being recalled to file any challenges.

Lemerond and others took out the recall petitions because Sleeper and Dallas have both supported Superintendent Randi Anderson and her recent changes to district operations, which included an aborted effort to close Olga Brener Intermediate School or Shawano Community Middle School in order to close up a $2 million budget deficit anticipated in the 2022-23 school district budget.

Lemerond has been going door to door for weeks, and now she is setting up shop at area businesses to gather signatures. She will be at Brother’s Pub until 8 p.m. July 20, and she plans to be at the Lighthouse from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 24. For information, Lemerond can be reached via her personal Facebook page.


lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com