Whealon moves resignation up a month to meet statutory deadline

Shawano Mayor Ed Whealon, who said he would resign his office by the end of the year, has moved his resignation to the end of November so the Common Council can meet a statutory deadline for a possible election.

The council discussed the pending vacancy for the first time at its meeting Wednesday, but no decisions were reached.

The vacancy will first go to an as-yet unscheduled meeting of the personnel committee to determine which of several options to choose.

They include leaving the mayor’s office vacant until the April 2022 election when Whealon’s two-year term expires, in which case Council President Rhonda Strebel would perform those duties; appointing someone to fill the vacancy until a special election can be held in April 2021; or appointing someone to fill out the rest of the term.

If a special election is held in April 2021, it would be for a one-year term.

City Administrator Eddie Sheppard said that if the resignation doesn’t happen by Dec. 1, the city would have to forego an election in April, making November the first opportunity for an election if the city sticks to regular election cycles.

“If the mayor resigns before Dec. 1 of 2020, that instantly puts in play a special election that can be held on the date in April of 2021,” he said. “If the resignation happens after Dec. 1, then the special election has to go all the way to the November 2021 election.”

The council could also order a special election outside of the regular election cycle on a date to be determined.

However, Sheppard said, the special election would have to be held within 62 to 77 days after the council orders an election, which would put it within the regular primary and election season.

“The council can’t declare a special election until the day the office is actually vacated,” he said.

The day Whealon initially intended to leave, which would have been the end of the year, would have put the election in conflict with the regular primary season.

“You can’t have a special election once the primary season has started,” Sheppard said.

Whealon was re-elected to his second two-year term as mayor in April after facing no challengers. He defeated incumbent Jeanne Cronce for the post in 2018.

Whealon purchased a second home in the Town of Wescott earlier this year, but still has a residence in the city.

He said he wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the house in the city when he bought the second home in Wescott.

Asked about that purchase several months ago, he said he still resides in the city, pays his taxes, municipal utility bills and votes here, a point he reiterated at Wednesday’s council meeting.

He said, however, he is now planning on putting the Shawano residence on the market.

He said he initially chose to continue through the end of the year to help guide the city through next year’s budget.

Whealon said in an interview Thursday that he was not aware of the statutory date requirements surrounding his resignation and the council’s ability to call a special election.

“I’ll be done 0n Nov. 30 to give the city time to, if they hold a special election, to get that squared away and get things rolling for April,” he said. “I don’t want to be an impediment to that.”

Whealon said he didn’t want to burden the city with the dual-residency issue.

“I don’t want to drag the city into a situation where it becomes tumultuous, adversarial and stuff like that,” he said. “That’s not my intention. I don’t want to do that. I just decided I don’t want to have that hanging out there and be an issue not only for me, but for everybody else involved in the city.”

Whealon said he feels city government is doing well and hopes it will continue to do well.

“We’ve got it pointed in the right direction to do great things for the city,” he said.

Whealon, who also served as chief of police before becoming mayor, said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time.

“I’ve been involved with the city of Shawano for over 40 years,” he said. “It’s time for a different chapter in my life, to move on. I’ll miss it and in some ways I’m not going to miss it. It is what it is.”

tryan@newmedia-wi.com