Petitions Delivered in Milwaukee Controversy

February 15, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The group trying to recall County Executive Tom Ament for his role in inflating county pension payouts for top officials, handed 181,957 signatures to the Election Commission.

The group charges that Arment and other Milwaukee County officials pumped up the county’s pension plan to provide politicians with million-dollar retirement payouts at the expense of salary increases for ordinary workers (see Pumped Pension Payouts Prompt Resignations ).

Sheriff’s deputies stood by as the recall group, Citizens for Responsible Government, turned in boxes of petitions at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The deputies then took the boxes across the street to the graphics department where workers began validating the signatures.

According to WISN 12 News, the local news station, Ament, who has dropped his lawsuit against the recall effort, has 10 days to decide whether to challenge the signatures.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee County board’s finance committee has voted to reduce pension and sick-leave payouts for non-union employees and has approved negotiations to possibly modify union contracts.

The board passed a separate resolution to rescind some benefits for the county executive and the supervisors, according to the local news station.

The issue now goes to the personnel committee.

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