Wisconsin Mayor Bob Ryan Faces Recall Over Alcohol-Related Stunts
'I Don't Fight Alcoholism, I Live with It,' Said Mayor
Mayor Bob Ryan of Sheboygan, Wis. could lose his title to a recall over a slew of drunken incidences that led to the election on Tuesday.
The recall election will be the first ever for the town of Sheboygan and Ryan is slated to face seven contenders in Tuesday’s recall.
“Are those supposed names out there- are they going to do a better job than I have done, with the future of the city?” Ryan asked the Sheboygan Press.
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“I’m hoping the issue they’re going to the polls for is the job I’ve done in the city,” the mayor said. “I personally do not feel there is any better candidate out there than me.”
“I don’t fight alcoholism, I live with it,” said the mayor previously to The Sheboygan Press. He struggles with alcoholism.
Ryan’s first term is slated to end in April 2013 and the winner of the recall election will be responsible for serving the duration of the term.
Ryan was elected mayor in 2009, but a string of alcohol-related incidents stirred up controversy and caused constituents to question his reliability in the high-ranking and demanding position.
A 2009 video surfaced of a drunk Ryan inappropriately bragging about his sister-in-law. Last year he was photographed passed out at a bar after a three-day drinking binge in which he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman and got into a quarrel.
As a result of the misconduct on behalf of the mayor, a group of over 4,000 people signed a petition calling for a reelection. The group argued that the recall is necessary to restore order and dignity to the office of the mayor.
“I’m running a positive campaign here. We have accomplished a lot in the city,” said Ryan.
“Let’s face it, unfortunately some of what we’ve accomplished has been overshadowed by some negative things, but I’ve always come into work everyday to do my job, and I do that day after day,” the mayor told The Sheboygan Press.
