Group files notice of intent to circulate recall petition against Mayor Tom Barrett

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man is trying to remove Mayor Tom Barrett from office. A political action committee called "Save our City: Milwaukeeans Can't Wait" filed a notice Friday morning, July 7th saying it plans to circulate a recall petition against him.

Allen Jansen now has 60 days to start collecting signatures for his petition. He says the mayor has endangered public health and engaged in misconduct in office.

In a statement released by the group, they list four reasons for the recall being sought:

Listing four reasons behind his decision, Jansen says Barrett has directed tens of millions of tax dollars toward the downtown trolley at the expense of: public health, safety and education. He also says Barrett has pursued a political agenda that benefits his major campaign donors. Jansen says the mayor has not protected residents from crime nor lead poisoning in water caused by lead lateral pipes in tens of thousands of homes.

Mayor Barrett says he takes the challenge seriously -- but adds, he won last year's election with 70 percent of the vote.

"Nobody loves a recall, but I embrace the opportunity to talk about how hard we've working to put Milwaukeeans to work," Barrett said. "At the same time, I recognize, as I have for some time, that we've got some serious challenges, particularly with poverty."

According to the Wisconsin Elections Committee, Jansen needs to collect enough signatures to equal 25 percent of the vote cast in Milwaukee for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election in Wisconsin. He says that's about 53,000 eligible voters living in the city.

Once the signatures are collected, each one must be verified. The mayor can also challenge the validity of the signatures.

Jansen and his committee treasurer declined to comment further on the petition. Jansen says he will have more information on his next steps on Monday.