Geneva mayor Eric Kamler: recall attempt by 'recall committee' is 'absolutely ridiculous'

GENEVA - A committee of roughly 10 people who call themselves the 'Recall Committee' in Geneva are attempting to recall first-term mayor Eric Kamler. The 28-year-old Shickley native was elected mayor last November. He’s currently the youngest mayor

August 21, 2019Updated: August 23, 2020

By News Channel Nebraska

Geneva mayor Eric Kamler: recall attempt by 'recall committee' is 'absolutely ridiculous'

GENEVA - A committee of roughly 10 people who call themselves the 'Recall Committee' in Geneva are attempting to recall first-term mayor Eric Kamler.

The 28-year-old Shickley native was elected mayor last November.

He’s currently the youngest mayor in the state and the youngest in Geneva’s history. On July 24th, Steve Ewalt filed a recall against Kamler at the Fillmore County Courthouse. Ewalt’s reasoning was simple, yet vague.

"Financially, socially, ethically irresponsible to the citizens of Geneva," the affidavit reads. "It's extremely broad and extremely vague," Kamler said.

Kamler says he's taken criticism for being a 15% shareholder at Alchemy - a cocktail bar in Lincoln's Haymarket district.

"Some think that me part-owning a bar outside out of Geneva makes me less dedicated to the city," Kamler remarked. "It's just absolutely ridiculous in my opinion."

Kamler notes that he farms 320 acres of seed corn and soybeans just outside of Geneva, and he partners with a local Genevan in a crop insurance business.

"The vast majority of my income is derived locally," he said. "Somehow, my 15% ownership of the bar in Lincoln has stuck as one of the talking points."

Kamler says the recall effort is 'absolutely ridiculous' and is rooted in the fear of a young mayor trying to change things.

"It seems there's a target for me for being young and doing things a little bit different," Kamler said. "There was some ridicule for the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony we just had two weeks ago. Our pick axes were gold, but they were spray painted gold. Maybe that sent the wrong message? I'm not sure..."

Geneva held a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 12 to mark the development of 12 housing lots on 19th street, as well as the redevelopment of the Main Street Corridor. A ceremony that Kamler says cost the city $700 at most. The ceremony was attended by several distinguished guests, including Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley and state senator Tom Brandt.

"I saw that someone wrote about me, 'those things wouldn't have happened had I been the mayor,'" Kamler said, regarding that ceremony. "I don't understand. That was overall positive PR for Geneva."

Kamler was first elected to the Geneva City council in 2014 at the age of 24. The recall committee includes former Geneva mayor Rod Norrie - Kamler's predecessor who served for 16 years.

"He said I made his last two years 'difficult' on the city council during his last two years as mayor," Kamler said. "There were some issues we didn't agree on, but that certainly doesn't warrant a recall."

The committee’s attempting to gather 332 signatures on a petition by Sept. 16. If they succeed, the courthouse would have 15 days to validate those signatures. If the signatures are validated, the city council would vote on whether or not to have a special election. If a special election were approved, citizens would simply vote 'yes or no' on whether or not they want Kamler to remain as Geneva's mayor.

Kamler said he’s invited both Norrie and Ewalt to talk about their issues. Those invitations have either been denied or unanswered. NCN’s calls to both Norrie and Ewalt went unanswered Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Kamler posted a picture of an email that Ewalt had sent out to nine members of his 'committee,' laying out the talking points of a meeting that took place Aug. 18 at the Geneva Public Library.

The email, which is littered with grammatical and spelling errors, included 'topics to mull over' before the meeting, most of them relating to how to get the most signatures possible on a petition.

"When do we want to start the petitioning process?" the email asked. "Whenever the mayor's picture is not in the paper?"

It also included topics like 'how to confront questions from patrons,' being 'a little bit of a salesman,' and 'how to confront people who won't sign because it might reflect on their business.'

"People have complained to me that those who are trying to get signatures have been extremely aggressive," Kamler said. "I've heard some say that committee members tell them 'taxes will go up if they don't sign.'"

Kamler will present the Geneva city budget at the next city council meeting, where he plans on a proposal to lower the city's tax rate.

On Tuesday, Kamler went on Facebook to explain what happened, and to ask the committee to “stop dividing Geneva by ending this bogus recall.”

"The comments that have been made about me have gotten out of hand," he said. "I just felt like it was appropriate to share the real story as to what's going on, and try to find some kind of reasoning behind this recall."

Among those voicing support for Kamler is Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley, who said Plattsmouth mayor Paul Lambert “went through the same nonsense and survived handily. You will too.”

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @Tommy_NCN.