NEW BERLIN, Wis. — A New Berlin resident has formally filed a petition asking the city’s Common Council to remove Mayor Dave Ament from office, adding to the controversy surrounding the mayor following his reposting of anti-Muslim content on social media.
The petition was received by the New Berlin City Clerk’s Office on Monday. It asks the Common Council to hold a public hearing to determine whether there is cause to remove Ament from office.
The filing makes several allegations against the mayor, including that he violated Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law and improperly used his authority in connection with a faith-based development project. The petition also alleges constitutional and city code-of-conduct violations. These are allegations made by the petitioners; the filing itself does not establish that Ament violated the law.
The petition also cites Ament’s reposting of anti-Muslim social media content. Ament publicly apologized for those posts during a Common Council meeting last month, saying he accepted criticism over his actions.
The petition specifically asks the council to formally accept the petition, provide Ament with written notice of the allegations and conduct a public hearing on whether he should be removed.
The New Berlin Common Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday, September 22, although it remains unclear whether the petition will be taken up at that meeting.
