Former County Supervisor Lied About Waukesha Residency: Complaint

WAUKESHA, WI—Kathleen Cummings, who abrupt resigned as a Waukesha County Supervisor and alderman after serving for over 20 years, was charged with seven felonies after investigators found she was using two different addresses, according to online court documents and a criminal complaint

Cummings is accused of not living in her home district for nine years of her time in public service, the complaint said. She was elected as alderman of District 9 for 20 years and as County Supervisor for District 19 for 22 years.

Cummings was charged in Waukesha County Court on Wednesday with five counts of false swearing-government setting and two counts of election fraud/nomination certification, the complaint said.

The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Cummings in April after a detective reviewed documents provided by Kevin Lahner, the City of Waukesha administrator, the complaint said.

The documents raised concerns that Cummings lived at a home on Downing Drive which is located in District 10 rather than a home on Roberta Avenue in District 9, the complaint said.

The Roberta Avenue home was bought in 1978 and the house on Downing Drive was bought in 2012 and Cummings’ husband owns both properties, the complaint said.

A review of oath of office documents showed Cummings used the Roberta Avenue address on her paperwork, the complaint said.

The sheriff’s office spoke with neighbors and a postal worker, the complaint said.

Water bills showed usage at the Roberta Avenue home dropped considerably in the fall of 2012 and some billing cycles showed no water usage at all there, the complaint said. The electric bills showed usage at the Roberta Avenue from 2012 to 2021 was notably less than the usage at the Downing Drive home, the complaint said.

Detectives later conducted a search warrant at both properties which were found to be littered with garbage and not sanitary, the complaint said.

Mail addressed to Cummings and her husband at the Roberta Avenue address were found in the Downing Drive home, the complaint said.

An internal memo was sent to city aldermen on Wednesday and requested by Patch.

The memo said the investigation resulted in the building inspections department looking into the conditions of both homes.

The department deemed both homes unfit for human occupation. Lahner said Cummings addressed the concerns and is working to remedy the issues, the memo said.