SHEBOYGAN -- 18-year-old Sheboygan senior in high school, Asher Heimermann has been pounding the pavement, and knocking on doors, trying to collect 200 signatures to get on the ballot in the recall election of embattled Sheboygan Mayor, Bob Ryan. He says Mayor Ryan is upset about a fake Twitter account Heimermann has been running, while Heimermann says it's meant to be a joke.
Heimermann says he's received a letter from Mayor Ryan's attorney, calling for Heimermann to stop misrepresenting Ryan on Twitter. Heimermann has been tweeting under the name @MayorBobRyan, and making statements like "Oh (expletive) I just got recalled," and "I just wet the bed."
When asked if posting on this Twitter account is the behavior of someone who could be running the City of Sheboygan, Heimermann said no, and said he won't be as active on the account going forward, as he was in back in November. As far as these tweets negatively affecting his campaign as an opposing candidate in the Ryan recall election, Heimermann says he may have lost three or four supporters.
Heimermann says the site clearly states "Fake Mayor Bob Ryan," adding that the site is meant to be a parody. However, Mayor Ryan wants additional changes, and accuses the teen of identity theft. Mayor Ryan is also upset that Heimermann was able to take the website RyanForMayor.com and link it to his own campaign site. "The day after it had expired, I had purchased it for myself, and I was well within my right to do that," Heimermann said.
FOX6 contacted both Mayor Ryan and his attorney for comment on this story, and neither returned our calls.
The recall election is slated for January 17th, and Heimermann has to turn in 200 valid signatures by next Tuesday to get on the ballot.