Shawano County supervisors will meet Dec. 17 to take up the matter of whether to remove one of their own from the county board.
Supervisor Lowel Hammett said he intends to put up a fight to keep his position.
In November, Hammett was found guilty of violating the county ethics code. By unanimous vote of the other four members of the ethics committee (Hammett is a committee member but did not take part in the discussion), Hammett was determined to have violated Wisconsin ethics laws and the the county’s ethics code ordinance.
The committee recommended:
• Hammett apologize to staff members he falsely accused.
• The county board chairman remove Hammett from the ethics committee.
• Supervisors remove Hammett from the county board.
Hammett said his attorney, John Healy, is preparing a statement for the board meeting.
“My attorney is writing something up, so I don’t have any comment,” he said.
The Nov. 4 ethics committee hearing included testimony from several people for and against Hammett. The supervisor said the hearing was videotaped, and a transcript of the entire meeting will be made available for supervisors.
According to the ethics committee, Hammett was accused of:
• Promoting his business on a business card that also noted his position as a county supervisor, thereby suggesting a connection between the two even though there was no evidence of substantial financial gain from doing so.
• Attempting to use his position to circumvent county board rules in trying to set up a special board meeting when he knew he had no authority to do so or to even attempt to solicit votes from other supervisors to establish such a meeting. Emails to supervisors asking them to vote in a certain manner could have resulted in a violation of the state’s open meetings law, had the matter come up for a vote.
• Demonstrating disloyalty to the board and county employees by sharing unauthorized confidential personnel information with supervisors, the media and the public. He further questioned an alleged missing $1 million from the county treasury, causing unnecessary discord and disrespect among elected and appointed officials.
Hammett represents District 16, which includes Ward 1 in the Town of Waukechon, and Wards 3 and 4 in the Town of Belle Plaine.
In April 2024, District 16’s race between registered write-ins Curth Korth and Hammett saw Hammett winning 35-25.
David Heideman, who represented District 16 until then, did not run for reelection.
The board will meet at 3 p.m. in the County Board Room of the Shawano County Courthouse.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
