Recall campaign started against Menomonie School Board Member Jim Swanson

A recall campaign has been filed against Menomonie School Board member Jim Swanson. Swanson has become the object of some controversy in the past month after an outburst in a school board meeting in which some profanity was used. This was followed by a move to censure Swanson in an emergency meeting later in the week.

The Campaign Finance Report and the Intent to Circulate were both filed with the school district on August 25, 2020. There appears to be no committee involved in the filing, which was brought by Chad Amundson of Menomonie. 

By state law the circulator of the petition must obtain a number of signatures equal to 25% of the voters in the last gubernatorial election, which is likely going to be difficult to achieve, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The circulators have 60 days from the August 25 date to obtain sufficient signatures for the recall. 

If the sufficient number of qualified signatures is obtained, a recall election will be scheduled for the Tuesday of the 6th week after the number of signatures is certified. Allowing time for circulation and review, and possible challenges of the signatures it is almost impossible for a special recall election to take place before January 2021. Swanson's term expires in April 2021, so a successful recall would likely shorten his term by three months at most. If the recall is held successfully all costs for the special recall election will be born by the local government.