Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich speaks to the media outside of city hall. (PHOTO/WTAQ News)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Organizers of an effort to recall Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich kicked off their campaign on Saturday.
In the basement of the Brown County Central Library, David VanderLeest, a former opponent of Genrich, cited issues involving the last three elections in the city.
“In my experience, to get 70 signatures a week will take a commitment of about five hours,” said VanderLeest.
In 2011, VanderLeest collected enough signatures to recall Democratic State Senator Dave Hansen, although Hansen kept his seat.
VanderLeest unsuccessfully ran for State Assembly against Genrich in 2012, and also lost in the primary race for Green Bay’s mayor in 2015.
During Green Bay’s February primary election, Genrich was criticized after city officials started counting absentee ballots hours ahead of the posted time, causing poll watchers to cry foul. In November of 2020, Genrich was criticized after the city took $1.5 million in funding from a left-leaning outside group, the Mark Zuckerberg-financed Center for Tech and Civic Life, to help in running the city’s election. In Spring of that year, Genrich again was the subject of criticism after closing most polling places in the city during the state primary election, leading to hours-long lines at the two operating polling stations in the city.
Joe Giganti, host of WTAQ’s “The Regular Joe Show” was a speaker at Saturday’s event.
“The people of Green Bay are frustrated and fed up with his lack of accountability,” said Giganti. “His lack of answer ability to what would’ve been clear problems in the last three major elections.”
VanderLeest has until May 30th to collect more than 9,700 signatures.
That is 25 percent of the amount of people who voted in the last governor’s race in Green Bay.
State law says Green Bay’s clerk has 31 days after the signatures are turned in to determine whether they are valid.
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