A group of southern Door County property owners, angered by the county decision to draw down the mill pond at the Forestville Dam, have submitted petitions calling for the recall of two county board supervisors, John Neinas in District Two and Roy Englebert in District Three. The Door County Board approved the draw down on a vote of 16 to 4 earlier this year. The idea is to improve water quality by lowering the water level the first year and allowing sediments in the small body of water to harden. The water would be returned to its normal level in the second year of the project. The Friends of the Forestville Dam say the draw down will do more harm than good, whether it involves the fish population or the water quality. Several members of the group favored dredging as a safer means of dealing with the sediment problem.
According to County Clerk Jill Lau, the recall won’t happen overnight. Lau notes that the recall form must include the signatures of 25% of the number that voted in the last preceding election for governor in the proper district, the proper dates and timing must be correct, and, the signatures must be properly submitted. She has 31 days to determine if the forms pass muster and can be certified. Lau says the elected official has ten days to challenge the petitions. If the signatures are determined to be sufficient, the recall election can be scheduled for a Tuesday six weeks after the certification has been made. However, if a primary election is needed due to there being more than two candidates, that vote would be held on the original recall date and the recall election would follow four weeks later. In the event that the incumbent receives the majority of votes in the primary, the recall process would end. It could be the end of August before the recall election for the two seats is held. Meanwhile, the winning supervisor would have to stand for election again in April of 2020.
