Village president, trustee, clerk resign while village weathers multiple elections and open meetings complaints
Following the April 1 election, the Village of Arena has three new trustees joining its ranks, but is left without a village president, one trustee and a clerk/treasurer following a streak of resignations and election complaints.
Following the election complaints, filed by Village Trustee Becca Raven Uminowicz, and resignations, the newly-sworn in board held special meetings to ensure governmental operations and continuity.
Village of Arena Trustee files election complaints against Clerk/Treasurer and Chief Elections Inspector
On April 7, Uminowicz filed a complaint under 5.06 of the Wisconsin Statutes with the Wisconsin Elections Commission against the Village’s Clerk/Treasurer DaNean Naeger and Acting Chief Election Inspector Kristen Shea regarding the April 1 election. Uminowicz’s complaint alleges procedural violations and vote total irregularities.
This complaint follows a previous complaint by Uminowicz under 5.06 of the Wisconsin Statutes from March 21 which alleges procedural violations that Naeger did not hold a legally mandated second randomized drawing after the Feb. 18 primary to redetermine the order of village trustee candidates on the April 1 general election ballot, and instead reused the previous ballot order and merely adjusted the numbering of those that survived the primary. Uminowicz additionally filed on the same day a complaint regarding the same issues under 5.05 of the Wisconsin Statutes that argues that Naeger’s inaction constitutes election fraud. Naeger has since filed a response to the March 21 5.06 complaint conceding she did not conduct a second drawing, but denies willful intent or fraud.
This previous complaint from March 21 also alleges that the existing ballot order provided candidates which support former Village President Reimann’s administration and voting bloc an unfair advantage of 1-3% based on studies, over non-administration supporting candidates appearing towards the bottom of the list.
The April 7 complaint, titled “5.06 Complaint Against Village Clerk/Treasurer DaNean Naeger and Trustee/Acting Chief Election Inspector Kristen Shea” notes alleged observed deficiencies and missteps within the April 1 election process. Uminowicz was acting as an election observer when she observed these issues.
As described in the complaint, Shea was not sure the Village had an operating and compliant accessible voting machine or voting station, and Naeger took down the paper ballot accessibility station early, the Village ran out of official ballots, which necessitated Naeger make copies using the office’s copy machine, did not properly keep track of the number of copies or inspect the blanks for markings or blemishes that would identify tampered ballots, removed signage and moved the voting tabulation machine prior to 8 p.m. which could have dissuaded last-minute voters, did not properly notice the municipal board of canvassers meeting for election certification, and did not follow procedure during vote counting regarding the resolution of mistakes, as well as for a time keeping privacy shields between ballot counters and observers, which partially obscured the view of election observers.
Also noted were statistical irregularities within the village president and trustee ballot counts. In the village presidential election, the hand-counted ballots, which sequestered and counted any ballots that contained write-ins as well as the copied ballots that the voting machine would not accept, were counted as 34 votes to candidate Paul Pustina and 24 votes to candidate Kathy Stoltz, a 17.2% lead for Pustina.
After the machine tabulated votes were read into the record by Naeger, Stoltz ostensibly received a total of 189 votes to Pustina’s 174, a 4.2% lead for Stoltz—and an overall swing of 21.4%.
The complaint states that such a shift in percentage from hand-counted to machine-tabulated ballots is highly unusual for a municipal election, and that such a change is statistically unlikely given the lack of a cause for such an occurrence between the two groups. Stoltz also received 60 more votes in her race for village president versus her run as village trustee, a discrepancy which the complaint notes as suspicious and irregular, as well as a high roughly 66% voter turnout in the village, which would intensify the need for strict statutory compliance for the election.
The complaint also notes that Chief Elections Inspector Shea is herself a village trustee, and belonged to the same voting bloc that stood to benefit from the ballot order, which introduces a conflict of interest. Guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission also noted that overlapping roles, as Shea had undertaken, should be avoided.
The complaint provides a list of statutes which were potentially violated by these observed actions, which include violations for a lack of an accessible voting system or solution, open meetings laws violations regarding the improperly noticed municipal board of canvassers meeting, and violations to Wisconsin statutes §§ 5.25, 5.85, 7.15, 7.51, 5.60, 5.72 and 5.05, which entail elections administration, proper ballot handling, machine setup and accessible voting requirements and election laws violations.
This complaint focuses on the following allegations: during the election, the fundamental right to a fair, transparent election was compromised, the final results which were arguably shaped by questionable election administration which fosters distrust in the candidates and electorate at large, and that the lack of an accessible voting station disenfranchised disabled voters and tarnished the elections validity.
The complaint requests that the WEC direct an investigation of the election, and conduct a formal and independent audit of the April 1 Village of Arena election, and if the result of that investigation found that the election was compromised, potentially order a rerun and special election. It also requests a forensic analysis of voting equipment, ensurance that the Village has properly configured accessible voting equipment and proper signage, that Naeger be prohibited from overseeing future elections without further training or oversight, direct Shea to recuse herself from serving as election inspector in future elections if she remains part of a politically aligned voting bloc, issue guidance to the Village regarding the conflict of interests of a chief elections inspector, issue immediate remedial training to Naeger regarding election procedures, and consider referring any future noncompliance to the district attorney.
In addition to the election complaints, Valley Sentinel has been made aware of other complaints against the Village, trustees and clerk.
These complaints include another election complaint against Naeger by Pustina for denying his recount request, at least two ethics complaints against Stoltz for conflicts of interest for votes she took as a trustee which had the potential to directly increase her property value as well as failing to include a required disclosure on election campaign materials, a complaint against Naeger for ballot order and misconduct, and another for tampering with public records, forgery and misconduct. Most of these complaints are outlined in an editorial on Valley Sentinel’s website.
Read about the last meeting of the previous board on April 8 and concerns trustees had about the clerk’s involvement in a candidate forum:
Valley Sentinel has also filed an open meeting complaint against the village board as it was constituted before the April 1 election, except for Uminowicz and Matthew Schroeder—who voted against the motions, for improperly noticed meetings and closed sessions.
The open meetings complaint, which is civil and procedural in nature, alleges that board members Reimann, Stoltz, Melissa Bandell, Shea and Brittany Carney have repeatedly and knowingly violated Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law—laws meant to ensure government transparency and protect the public’s right to know. The complaint lays out a pattern: board members held multiple closed-door meetings about critical public safety issues without giving proper notice or legal justification, even after being warned their actions were likely illegal. Despite being put on notice, the board continued to meet in closed session, excluding the public and the press while making decisions that directly affect the safety and well-being of Arena residents. Despite being warned the very first time, it appears that every closed session, four in total, from October through February was held improperly.
Another open meetings complaint from Uminowicz alleges that Reimann, Stoltz, Bandell, Shea and Carney held an unnoticed illegal meeting at Reimann’s house on the evening of April 14, the last day of Reimann, Shea and Carney’s tenure as Village officials. State law treats gatherings such as these with a quorum present rebuttably as meetings, which need to be publicly noticed.
Stoltz was set to have her term of office for trustee expire the next day, April 15, as she took office as village president. Bandell’s term was set to end in April 2026.
Resignations
On April 8, Naeger submitted her resignation as Village of Arena clerk/treasurer, effective April 8 at 9 p.m., following the board meeting that evening. In her letter, Naeger did not provide a reason for her resignation. She had worked for the Village since 2019.
Reimann did not call a special meeting of the board to address continuity of Village services following Naeger’s resignation before her term ended April 15.
The next week, Bandell submitted her letter of resignation April 14 at 7:35 p.m. in an email to the now vacant clerk/treasurer’s email address. Bandell did not provide reasoning for her resignation in her letter.
Stoltz submitted her letter of resignation as Village of Arena president at 7:52 a.m on April 15, hours after assuming the office, and provided no reasoning for her resignation in the letter.
However, Stoltz did submit a post that evening to a public Facebook group in which she gave reasoning and directed criticism towards members of a “cast” whom she said engaged in “a calculated effort to create chaos and push their agenda.” She specifically named village presidential candidate Pustina, current village trustee Uminowicz and an editor of this newspaper, Taylor Scott, as responsible.
Stoltz stated to the Facebook group, Iowa County Confessions, that her resignation was due to an “unbearable” atmosphere created by these people where meetings are “dreaded”, and blamed them for public employees being “publicly scrutinized” and their actions putting the village in “disarray” while “reversing good policies.” This apparently despite the fact Stoltz has served on the village board for six years aligned within what has effectively functioned as a voting majority bloc.
Stoltz further claims in the post, village residents are now “left to bear the financial burden of their mismanagement.”
Village financials show that the Village is well over $3,000,000 in debt, and has spent tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys fees in the last year at the same time as they pushed to renegotiate the joint fire & EMS agreement with the Town of Arena.
In closing, Stoltz urges residents to hold the new board accountable and advises, “you can thank them for the chaos that ensues.”
All resignations were accepted unanimously by the, majority newly-elected, board at a special meeting on April 15.
April 15 emergency special meeting
On April 15—amid the resignations of the village president, a trustee and the clerk/treasurer—the newly constituted Village of Arena Board of Trustees convened an emergency special meeting to take immediate action on matters essential to maintaining government continuity, protecting village resources and ensuring fiduciary oversight. For the majority of trustees present, it marked their first day in office.
Four of the five currently filled trustee seats were present: returning trustee Becca Raven Uminowicz and newly elected trustees Steve Wilkinson, Joe Hipsky and Don Helt. Trustee Matthew Schroeder was absent.
With the offices of Village President and Clerk/Treasurer vacant, the board began by appointing Steve Wilkinson as chair pro tempore to preside over the meeting, and Joe Hipsky as clerk pro tempore to take minutes and manage official documentation for the evening.
The board then unanimously voted to appoint Wilkinson as village president pro tempore, authorizing him to act as the Village President until the board formally appoints a trustee to fill the role.
Clerk/Treasurer office, Village records and audits
Securing the Village Clerk’s office was a key focus of the meeting. The board unanimously approved a motion to utilize the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office to lock down the clerk’s office and village records, retaining a chain of custody until the completion of audits or further board action. Trustee Wilkinson was designated as the point of contact to execute this directive.
The board also approved the use of the Sheriff’s office and the Village’s IT contractor to coordinate with former Clerk DaNean Naeger and other officials to ensure all digital accounts and systems were secured and properly transferred, again with Wilkinson as the point of contact.
To prevent unauthorized access going forward, the board repealed all prior building access authorizations and voted to restrict access to various parts of Village Hall:
- Common areas: accessible to trustees, public works staff, auditors and law enforcement;
- Public works offices: public works staff only;
- Clerk’s office and administrative offices: access limited to auditors and law enforcement.
When asked whether there had been any access to the clerk’s office between April 8 and April 15, Public Works Superintendent Rich Meili stated he had been the only one to enter.
The board also voted to pursue two forensic audits:
- A targeted audit of the smallest randomized subset of Water and Sewer bills, accounts and transactions during Naeger’s tenure that could yield a determination.
- A full forensic audit covering March 1 through April 15 (or whenever the clerk’s office is secured, whichever is later), specifically investigating unauthorized expenditures and access to records and accounts during the critical April 8–15 window.
Both audits were authorized at a maximum rate of $500 per hour, with Wilkinson again designated as point of contact.
New law firm, accounting services and financial oversight
The board voted unanimously to terminate Village Attorney Paul Johnson and the firm Boardman Clark. Trustee Hipsky was named as point of contact to carry out this action.
Immediately following, the board voted to contract with Axley Brynelson, LLP as the new municipal law firm at a rate not to exceed $400 per hour. Hipsky was again designated as the point of contact.
Bill Cole of Axley Brynelson was formerly the Village’s attorney before the previous administration hired Johnson and Boardman Clark .
To maintain daily financial operations, the board voted to contract with Johnson Block to provide temporary accounting, clerk, bookkeeping and payroll services, authorizing Trustee Uminowicz to act on the board’s behalf. She was also tasked with pursuing the recruitment of a temporary part-time clerk/treasurer to work with the accounting firm for day-to-day operations in the village hall.
Finally, to ensure proper fiscal controls, the board moved to update the Village’s banking authorities. With the resignations of the clerk and president, former signatories were removed, and President Pro Tem Wilkinson and representatives from Johnson Block (or any temporary clerk) were designated as new authorized signers, with all expenditures requiring countersignatures.
April 21 special meeting to hear updates
The Village of Arena Board of Trustees met for a special board meeting on April 21, called by President Pro Tempore Wilkinson and Trustee Uminowicz. The meeting followed up on assignments delegated during the emergency April 15 meeting and aimed to take action on matters essential to maintaining government operations and accountability.
Update on Clerk/Treasurer office, Village account access and audits
Wilkinson reported that he independently arranged to change the locks and disable the keypad to the clerk/treasurer’s office. This was completed on April 19, by Ray Johnson of Doerre Hardware, under observation by members of the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office to ensure no tampering occurred. Wilkinson holds the sole key to the office.
The only confirmed access to the office prior to the lock change was by Public Works Superintendent Meili, who twice dropped off mail.
Trustees discussed the recovery of laptops from former officials and coordination with the village’s IT provider. Wilkinson and Trustee Hipsky had been working with Computer Doctors of Richland Center to revoke access and secure village systems. Laptops belonging to former officials Reimann, Carney, Bandell and Shea were accounted for; that of former Trustee and one-time Village President Stoltz remained missing.
The board voted unanimously to authorize Wilkinson to coordinate with the Sheriff’s Office to review security footage between April 15 and April 21 for any unauthorized access.
Wilkinson also reported that former Clerk/Treasurer Naeger had placed a hold on all village accounts before resigning, with only the Public Works credit card and automatic utility payments remaining functional. Incoming ACH payments for utility bills continued to process, but no checks or outgoing payments could be made. The board would need to authorize new signatories and provide minutes or documentation to People’s Community Bank to remove the hold.
Discussion also continued on the two forensic audits authorized at the previous meeting:
- A subset audit of Water and Sewer accounts during Naeger’s tenure.
- A full forensic audit of all village accounts from March 1 to April 15 (or the date the office was secured).
Wilkinson shared quotes from two firms:
- Digital Forensics Corporation: $8,000 for 60 days with one investigator; up to $24,000 for faster turnaround with more staff.
- SVA (based in Madison/Milwaukee): Estimated $10,000–$20,000; video call scheduled for follow-up.
Neither firm could confirm hourly rates, which conflicted with the board’s April 15 vote to cap services at $500/hour. Several trustees, including Schroeder, voiced concerns over cost and lack of evidence justifying the expense. After discussion, the board unanimously voted to table audit decisions until the May 6 regular meeting, unless new information prompted an earlier special meeting.
Search for accounting and clerk services; new law firm approved
Trustee Uminowicz reported that Johnson Block, the village’s long-standing audit firm, was unable to provide temporary clerk, payroll, or bookkeeping services, citing potential conflicts with their annual audit. She had reached out to several local clerks without success.
Wilkinson stated that a former clerk was willing to assist part-time or help train someone new, and another retired clerk could provide limited Saturday availability. However, neither could fulfill the full-time role.
Zach Adams of MSA Professional Services noted his firm could potentially provide interim administrative support if a temporary clerk was secured for day-to-day operations.
Due to time constraints—with payroll due April 24 and no clerk access to systems—no formal hiring action was taken.
Separately, Hipsky confirmed the termination of municipal attorney Paul Johnson of Boardman Clark.
Resident Stacie Prochaska questioned why the village attorney was fired. Uminowicz cited a lack of confidence in his prior legal guidance.
“At that time, I sat in the audience and when I heard some of the things that the attorney recommended that the board do, I questioned his judgment on those,” Wilkinson said.
Trustees unanimously approved contracting Axley Brynelson, LLP as the village’s new legal firm, with Bill Cole named as the primary contact. Cole quoted $273/hour for most services — significantly lower than the $400/hour previously paid to Boardman Clark — and the board capped future billing at $400/hour.
Village Communications
Due to the inability to access the Clerk’s office and the village’s telephone and answering machine, the board discussed village communications. Wilkinson noted that the post office was holding the mail for the village and that when the lock was being changed, the phone’s answering machine had 35 messages.
He had suggested to the board that the telephone be moved outside of the clerk’s office under supervision of the sheriff’s office so that calls could be responded to. Hipsky had suggested that he reach out to the new attorney for advice, as not to disrupt the clerk’s office prior to any upcoming audits.
The board unanimously voted to contact the attorney for advice on how to access the telephone and mail and how to conduct daily operations prior to audit. The board also unanimously voted for Wilkinson to take action upon recommendation from the attorney.
The discussion then turned to public communications with Village residents. The Village currently has an official Facebook page, however, current board members are unable to access the account, as the login details are unknown. Hipsky volunteered to reach out to Naeger to attempt to retrieve login details, or have administrator rights transferred for the account.
Trustee Don Helt suggested utilizing the postal service to provide notice to Village residents, however, concerns were raised about the inability to retrieve the list of resident addresses from the clerk’s office, as well as postage fees.
Sue Pustina, who was in the gallery, offered to the board that information could be posted to the Arena Community Team Facebook page.
Uminowicz had also noted that the Village’s marquee sign could also be used to inform residents of meetings.
The board unanimously voted to allow the ACT Facebook page to post information on official Village activities.
The board then transitioned to discussing streaming Village meetings to the public. The Villages of Spring Green and Lone Rock, as well as the River Valley School Board stream their public either through Zoom or YouTube. Hipsky had provided information on Meeting Owl, which is a smart web camera specifically for use in meetings, however, the primary concern for the board was the price of the equipment.
Schroeder also commented on the logistics of streaming the meeting, or providing public comment, as streaming would require the clerk or a trustee to use their laptop for the purpose and monitor the stream.
Schroeder also noted the previous board’s concern about ADA compliance and closed captioning. Both YouTube and Zoom provide automatic captioning as part of live streams.
The discussion on video streaming equipment was laid on the table until a later date, as the Board did not have access to accounts to make purchases or all of the village’s laptops.
Looking Ahead
The village board meets for its next regular board meeting on May 6 at 7 p.m. at the Arena Village Hall located at 345 West Street. This meeting serves as the board’s annual organizational meeting.
Residents interested in serving as trustee or village president are encouraged to attend the May 6 meeting, and optionally send a letter of interest to s.wilkinson@villageofarena.net.
The board will need to fill two seats at the meeting, first filling a trustee seat that will be eligible for appointment by the board as village president, for a term ending April 2026—and conducting an oath of office for that trustee seat. Then electing from among its membership a village president to complete the remainder of the term, ending in April 2027—and conducting an oath of office for the village presidency. Then the board will need to fill the resulting trustee seat vacated by the trustee being appointed as village president, with a term to match the previous trustee’s unexpired term—and conduct an oath of office for that trustee seat.
Disclosure: Legal editor Gary Ernest Grass and Managing Editor Taylor Scott have been consulting official(s) named in this story, especially on compliance with Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law. Any such advice is given in a capacity separate from the paper and does not affect the content of the story or its editing.
