GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – After escaping a removal petition by one vote, Mayor Jim Schmitt hopes things get back to normal at City Hall.
“This is very taxing. I’ve got to tell you. This has been tough. This has been tough on our family. This has been close to three years.”
Before Monday’s late night vote, Schmitt’s opponents said people were waiting in the wings to start a recall petition if the council didn’t have the nine votes needed for the mayor’s removal.
Scott Vanidestine filed a petition in December calling for the council to vote Schmitt out of office. After his effort failed, Vanidestine said he won’t start a recall.
“I’ve spent a lot of time doing this and right now I’m just spent”
According to Kris Teske, the city clerk, 8,467 Green Bay resident signatures would need to be collected in 60 days to force a recall election.
Teske says no one contacted the clerk’s office on Tuesday about starting a recall petition.
“It’s up to the voters,” said Schmitt.
“I think they have to look at Jim Schmitt the last 14 years and a guy that has made some mistakes during the campaign, but I think the city is much better off than it would have been with someone else.”
Longtime Schmitt opponent, Alderman Guy Zima, spoke to WLUK.
“I think we’ve got to sit back. There are all kinds of options.”
Zima wants to see if there are other avenues for trying to remove Schmitt before resorting to recall.
“That takes a big effort. It wouldn’t be in the middle of winter that you go collect signatures, but I think we’ll put it on the back burner of possibilities.”
If there is a recall, Schmitt has said he will fight to keep his job. His term ends in 2019.
