Data center-driven recall effort falls short

Port Washington Mayor Ted Neitzke will not face a recall election this spring.

A petition seeking the recall election, filed Monday by Great Lakes Neighbors United, a grassroots organization created to oppose the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus in the city, did not have the 1,591 signatures needed.

The petition was signed by about 1,200 city residents during the last 60 days, Christine Le Jeune, a founder of Great Lakes Neighbors United, said Tuesday.

“I think collecting signatures for a recall is an uphill battle,” Le Jeune said.

Despite the fact they did not obtain the number of signatures needed, she said it was important to turn the petition in to the city by the deadline on Monday.

“We wanted it on record,” Le Jeune said. “We just felt it represented 1,200 people who trusted us to make their voices heard.”

Neitzke said Tuesday he is ready to move ahead.

“I appreciate the overwhelming majority of people in the city chose not to engage in a recall,”  he said. “I learned through the process how important our community is to everybody. I’m always going to work for the whole city.

“In the end, the goal is to move us forward. I’m looking forward to being able to focus on the strategic goals of the city.”

Le Jeune said that in addition to the number of signatures needed — 25% of the city residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election — those collecting signatures were hampered by several things, among them fear of retribution and the weather.

“A lot of people said they don’t like what’s going on but they were too afraid to sign,” she said. “I think a lot of people just didn’t want their names out there.

“Intimidation was definitely the most frustrating aspect of this.”

Many of them, she said, remembered signing the Scott Walker gubernatorial recall petition and said they had a bad experience with that.

“It was sad to see so many people afraid, afraid of retribution,” Le Jeune said. “It sounds like the Walker recall left a lasting impact of people being afraid to put themselves out there.”

People collecting signatures were “shocked” when friends and neighbors they were sure would sign the petition because they weren’t happy with the situation in the city refused to do so, she said.

Some people asked who would run against Neitzke in a recall election, Le Jeune said, adding her organization was talking to people about running but had no specific candidate.

It’s difficult to recruit candidates if there isn’t a position to run for, something that wouldn’t be determined until a recall petition was filed, she said.

“They (potential candidates) weren’t willing to put themselves out there if there wasn’t a job there,” she said.

Winter weather was also a factor, she said, noting that the group sought to collect signatures during weeks of frigid weather.

“It’s unfortunate we didn’t have more days like this past weekend,” Le Jeune said, noting they had three weekends of cold weather. “We gave it out best, but that cold snap didn’t help at all.”

Le Jeune said that Great Lakes Neighbors United will continue its work, saying the organization is now focusing on rolling out a monitoring program that will help the public keep an eye on the data center project.

“Now that the recall is done, we can focus on things like that,” she said. “We want to advocate for other communities, work to hold the developer accountable and to give people a voice.”

The group plans to hold a series of monthly classes, with the first one focused on air quality monitoring to be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at the Niederkorn Library in Port.

Air quality, she said, was selected as the first topic due to the issues surrounding dust coming off the data center construction site and its impact on nearby residents.

The class will include information about the various types of air quality monitors that the state Department of Natural Resources recommends be placed on houses, she said.

The group has an area of its website set up for people to list their concerns about the data center, something Le Jeune said will help shape future programs.

The organization’s first program, held Feb. 11 at the Holiday Inn Express, featured Charlie Berens, a Wisconsin comedian and podcaster who opposes data centers, and it drew roughly 300 people, she noted.

During that session, she said, Great Lakes Neighbors United announced it had filed for nonprofit status with the state.

The group is also considering whether to become an intervening party in a lawsuit brought against the City of Port by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and other organizations seeking to keep a referendum off the April ballot that, if approved, would require a referendum be held for any future tax incremental financing district valued at $10 million or more.

Great Lakes Neighbors United petitioned for the referendum.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Le Jeune said. “We’re very dedicated people. We have a lot of energy to keep going.

“We will remain engaged. We will continue to follow Common Council meetings.”