New Berlin Common Council sets special meeting to discuss allegations raised against mayor
CBS 58 NEW BERLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The New Berlin Common Council is set to discuss the future of New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament at a special meeting.
The meeting is expected to enter closed session.
David Ament
Community members filed a petition alleging Ament violated the state’s open meeting laws. At the special meeting, common council members will get legal advice and discuss the allegations listed.
For over a month, Ament has been the subject of scrutiny. Shamshad Siddiqui is just one of many New Berlin residents who have repeatedly called for Ament to resign.
“There’s no other option on the table,” said Siddiqui.
Community members filed a petition, calling for the mayor’s removal, alleging he violated the state’s open meeting laws by facilitating a “walking quorum designed to reach a predetermined outcome behind closed doors.”
“I should not be left wondering whether important decisions affecting me and my community and people who I shop with or go to the gym with are being conducted behind doors,” said Siddiqui.
The petition also alleges Ament gave the controversial Milwaukee Rescue Mission New Journey facility regulatory exemptions "based on religious affiliation," which violates the United States Constitution.
“These are serious concerns, and they deserve a through and impartial review,” said Siddiqui.
Now, the New Berlin Common Council is set to listen to legal advice about the petition and the calls to remove the city’s mayor. In a statement, the City of New Berlin wrote in part, it “will not take action on the substance or merits of the petition during the closed session.”
“We have been a longtime resident and I feel really disappointed that the mayor has conducted himself the way he did,” said Siddiqui.
Back in august, CBS 58 sat down with ament for an exclusive interview after he shared several posts on social media that many say were Islamophobic.
Ament apologized in a common council meeting after for his actions, but Siddiqui says it's not enough.
“Leadership requires accountability, and I believe the mayor’s actions have demonstrated a serious failure of judgement,” said Siddiqui.
