New Berlin residents file petition to remove Mayor Dave Ament from office

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- New Berlin residents filed a petition to remove Mayor Dave Ament from office Monday, Sept. 14. 

Ament recently came under fire for posts he made on his personal Facebook page, one calling for the ban of Islam and another calling those who vote for Muslims "traitors."

Residents who signed the petition are demanding the mayor's "immediate suspension and removal," citing "official misconduct, constitutional infractions, and municipal code violations."

A press release outlines several accusations against Ament, including "endorsing discriminatory and disparaging materials," "evading open meetings laws," and "granting preferential regulatory exemptions to a faith-based entity."

The petition calls on the New Berlin Common Council to serve formal notice of the charges and schedule a public hearing.

The citizen group say they also filed a petition to remove Community Development Director Greg Kessler, accusing him of misconduct in office, constitutional infractions, code of conduct violations and evasion of open government laws.

CBS 58 reached out to the mayor's office, and they said they were unaware of the petitions and have no further comment at this time.