Waukesha Alderman Aaron Perry Resigns

WAUKESHA, WI—Waukesha Alderman Aaron Perry has resigned from his position, Perry said in a tweet.

"I resigned this morning. My best and support to all on here. The city staff, top to bottom are great in Waukesha. The next Alder will have my full support. I'm in process of deleting all social accounts so this may not be up long. It's been fun and a learning experience," Perry said.

Patch reached out to Perry but haven't heard a response as of Thursday morning.

Perry lost to Scott Allen in the race for Wisconsin State Assembly District 97 in the Nov. 3 General Election. He is also facing charges of domestic violence and has been removed from committee assignments after Mayor Shawn Reilly said he wasn't fulfilling his duties as an alderman.

Mayor of the City of Waukesha Shawn Reilly confirmed the news to Patch but didn't provide a statement or comment on Perry's resignation.

Reilly forwarded Perry's resignation letter to Patch:

"Effective today, December 17, 2020, I resign my position as Alderman of the 12th district of Waukesha. I’d like to thank the residents of Waukesha, the entire city staff, and our local businesses and developers. Although my tenure is ending prior to my planning, I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and will support the next leader of district 12 and the common council."

'Not fulfilling his duties as alderman'

The Waukesha Common Council on Tuesday approved the recommendation to remove Perry, who wasn't present at the meeting, from his committee assignments. Reilly had requested the recommendation.

In a memo to the Common Council, Reilly said he "doesn't believe he is fulfilling his duties as an alderman."

In the memo, the mayor cites Perry missing numerous Common Council and committee meetings and said Perry has left meetings early and been tardy to meetings.

"He also turns his camera off during meetings and no one can know whether he is or is not listening and/or participating while off-camera," Reilly's memo said.

Reilly also expressed concern about Perry's statements to the police that as an alderman he should deserve special treatment.

Perry, 40, was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery, domestic abuse, one count of criminal damage to property, domestic abuse, one count of disorderly conduct, domestic abuse, and one count of felony intimidation of a victim, domestic abuse, according to online court records.

A bench warrant was issued for Perry in connection to a separate domestic violence case in Waukesha County Court on Dec. 8, according to online court documents.

Perry failed to appear at a firearm surrender hearing twice, according to online court records. Court records said he failed to file a "Statement of Possession of Firearms."

"Finally, his demeanor and attentiveness during meetings have been unusual and perplexing," Reilly's memo said.

Reilly's memo said he left a voice mail for Perry on Thursday advising him that he was doing this and indicated that he should call if he wishes to discuss.

Perry told Patch via text last month, "I'm innocent of all charges. Beyond that, per court order and advice of my representation, I am not allowed to comment further."

Recall committee responds

A group called Committee to Recall Aaron Perry had begun a recall campaign against Perry. On its website, the group accuses Perry of living outside of District 12.

The group's founders, Dan Freschi and Mike Walsh released the following statement:

"The Committee to Recall Aaron Perry would like to thank all the many volunteers and supporters from all non‐partisan political spectrums. We undertook a fast‐paced effort that built steam faster than many could have imagined. We were on pace to collect more than enough signatures in under three weeks. Many outsiders underestimated the force of a motivated electorate in these times of COVID‐19 and a pending Wisconsin winter.

We want to extend our gratitude to Aaron Perry for doing the right thing for the residents of the City of Waukesha, District 12, by allowing us to heal and move on from this current situation. We wish the whole Perry family a quick recovery and hope the rest of the community provides them the space to heal.

The Committee to Recall Aaron Perry did our level best to keep the issues based on available facts and ask that the online community allow him the opportunity to rebuild as all people deserve.
The official resignation of Aaron Perry as Alderman of District 12 in the City of Waukesha officially ends the recall efforts.

A final thought, we must understand that all politics is local. While many of us are weary of national and state politics, local politics affect us the most on a day‐to‐day basis. Yet, it’s frequently ignored and overlooked until it’s too late to persuade your official or get involved.

So, it’s essential to stay involved and stay alert to what is happening in our communities.
We need to get back to being civic‐minded and motivated to engage at the local level. The local
municipalities, school boards, and committees will do what they want without us paying attention and holding them accountable. Get involved and stay involved."