Recall New Berlin

09/02/2026

The urgent need for Mayor Dave Ament to resign or be recalled isn’t based on social-media postings, but on Malfeasance; withholding information from the public, clandestine meetings with developers, and unconstitutional policies.

In an email to the New Berlin Common Council, Mayor Dave Ament justifies his decision to circumvent public knowledge and refusal to allow any community input on a majorly impacting, mixed-use, rehabilitative development. Claiming protections under the FHA, ADA, and RLUIPA without providing foundation or referencing specific provisions, the Mayor falsely rationalizes exemption from the required public hearings and a Common Council vote on a PUD (Planned-Unit-Development) or a CUP (Conditional-Use-Permit) for such a complex development. Misusing federal protection laws that guarantee neutral-treatment, to sanction preference and favoritism for a “faith-based” organization that aligns with an elected official’s personal beliefs, is explicitly prohibited by the Establishment Clause (U.S. Const. amend. I.). The Mayor and the city attorney (both former and current) have declined to comment on which specific provisions under federal law, state statutes, or city ordinances have warranted these determinations as well as exceptions from statutory lot and setback violations.

Furthermore, Mayor Ament has continued to refuse to address how or why he’s allowing such a complex, multi-use development to be figuratively encapsulated into a simple “church” for zoning-compliance, disregarding the large-scale, high-density residential aspect that has no provisions and is ultimately prohibited in the proposed building zone. While “Church” use, “A place of gathering for religious observance, ministry, and fellowship and related social events …” is allowed in the zoning district, “assisted-living” or “residential quarters” as an accessory-use is not, which is permitted and regulated in INSTITUTIONAL I-1 districts ONLY. Accessory uses MUST also be zone-compliant.

§ 275-41(A)-- Accessory uses are allowed in any district as may be specified in the appropriate district regulations or in this section.

If applied in LITERAL-TERMS as an AODA Residential Treatment Facility:

§ 275-41(B)(1)(f)-- Nursing homes, true assisted-care elderly facilities, and community-based residential facilities (CBRF) may be constructed as conditional uses in an Rm-1 Zoning District; however, such uses are provided for as principal uses in the I-1 Institutional District.

If applied in FIGURATIVE-TERMS (i.e. “arguably”) a “Church”:

§ 275-42(C)(2)-- Residential quarters for the caretaker or clergy may be provided in the I-1 District.

To consider such non-permitted uses, the Common Council must act to revise the city’s comprehensive plan and re-zoning. However, Mayor Ament determined that he possessed the discretionary power to decide that this mixed-use development could be condensed and consolidated under the guise of a simple “church” to not only conceal the project from the public, but to deprive the Common Council - the electorate - the ability to vote on what would be a PUD (Planned-Unit-Development) or a CUP (Conditional-Use-Permit) which is required by city ordinances in all other circumstances. These actions contradict both state statutes and city ordinances that require the fullest information on governmental policy and action be provided to the public.

Wis. Stat. § 19.81;

(1) In recognition of the fact that a representative government of the American type is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the policy of this state that the public is entitled to the fullest and most complete information regarding the affairs of government as is compatible with the conduct of governmental business.

New Berlin City Ord. § 275-17 (B)(10). Other Powers and Duties;

(i) Make available to the public, to the fullest extent possible, all reports and documents concerning the City's Comprehensive Plan, development ordinances and zoning ordinances. In addition, information in the form of reports, bulletins, maps, and other data shall be available. The Department may set fees and update them from time to time as necessary to recover the cost of providing information to the public.

09/02/2026

The First Amendment does not exist to protect government officials from criticism. It exists to protect the people’s right to criticize their government.

We support the Law, the U.S. Constitution, and ALL those who sacrifice and serve to uphold and enforce the Law.

09/01/2026

The First Amendment applies. So does the 14th Amendment, i.e. Equal protection under the Law.

Mayor Ament didn’t just share a few questionable posts. He repeatedly circulated content attacking Muslims, Jews, immigrants, and women while promoting white-supremacist themes. At the same time, his administration stretched city zoning rules to approve a large faith-based residential AODA facility by calling it a “community-scale church.”

That combination is disqualifying.

An elected official who publicly spreads hostility toward entire religious and ethnic groups cannot credibly claim to represent the whole community. Muslim families in New Berlin have reported that these posts have left their children anxious, fearful, and questioning whether they truly belong in their own city. No child should have to absorb that kind of public contempt from the person holding the highest office in town.

The selective treatment of the New Journey project only deepens the problem. It raises the unavoidable question: would a secular treatment center—or one tied to a faith the mayor clearly does not favor—have received the same aggressive reclassification and streamlined approval? The pattern suggests religious favoritism, not neutral administration of the law.

Leaders are supposed to model fairness, restraint, and equal protection. Ament has modeled the opposite. That is why he is unfit to continue as mayor.

As social media has become a common way for public officials to communicate directly with constituents, it also has become a source of controversy when posts cross a line some people consider offensive, inflammatory or inappropriate. There have been several instances in the recent past of area elected officials in those cases claiming they are speaking as private citizens, not public officials on their social account.

Read story: https://www.gmtoday.com/the_freeman/news/first-amendment-social-media-officials/article_b5bbe885-9a6b-5488-b425-65a571405c73.html

08/30/2026

In an article published April 3rd, 2013 by Milwaukee Magazine, Dave Ament made some interesting promises during his mayoral campaign—

New Berlin’s new mayor, former Ald. Dave Ament, ran on a promise to freeze the city’s property tax levy and restore civility to its politics. “I won’t call you names if you disagree with me,” he wrote in a New Berlin NOW questionnaire. “I will work with the council in the best interest of our community rather than creating an adversarial relationship or (blaming) them when something goes wrong.”

Mayor Dave Ament recently spent $22.2 Million building the New Berlin Community Center at Hickory Grove, with another $2.5 Million dollars renovating Malone park. Rather than spending and budgeting responsibility to uphold the promise of a property tax levy “freeze”, the Mayor and his staff proposed an 8.11% ($3.12 Million annual) increase that exceeds state-imposed limits under Wisconsin law to supplement his negligence towards adequately funding fire, police, and EMT.

This public safety referendum doesn’t even consider the Milwaukee Rescue Mission which currently requires aid from Marquette Campus Police to attempt to control the situation at their downtown campus. This reckless and arbitrary development approval, which entirely contradicts the city’s comprehensive plan and ignores public safety, was approved unanimously by the Mayor and his staff without considering or allowing community knowledge or input. What risk-evaluations has the Mayor done to assess potential budget increases if this program were to accumulate even a fraction of the hundreds of emergency calls happening downtown? In addition to Rockwell and other newly proposed developments.

The residents need to act before the situation in New Berlin spirals out of control. Mayor Ament must resign or be recalled from office.

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