Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett may be facing a recall election.



A group calling itself "Save Our City. Milwaukeeans Can't Wait" filed a notice Friday saying it intends to launch a recall against Barrett, who won his fourth term as mayor last year.

The group's treasurer is Darryl Farmer, who's known as "King Rick" and leads the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee. He declined to comment about the recall effort Friday.

The recall petitioner, Allen L. Jansen, could not be reached for comment.

Reasons given for the recall on the paperwork filed with the City of Milwaukee Election Commission included the Milwaukee Streetcar project (which the group called the "downtown trolley") and concerns about lead exposure from water pipes.

The group also accused Barrett of dereliction of duty, saying the mayor "has not fulfilled his obligation to sufficiently protect the residents of the City of Milwaukee from crime."

To trigger a recall, organizers would have to gather more than 51,000 petition signatures in 60 days. Any resident of the city of Milwaukee who is eligible to vote can sign the petition.

"Nobody loves a recall, but I embrace the opportunity to talk about how hard we've been working to put Milwaukeeans to work," Barrett said Friday after a workforce development news conference. "I think anybody who looks at the city realizes that there's a lot of positive energy going on right now."

Barrett said Milwaukee and communities throughout the state are facing problems with poverty, adding that he's committed to improving public safety and working on job creation efforts.



When asked how concerned he was about the recall effort, Barrett said, "I always take everything seriously in politics."

Barrett easily won re-election in April 2016, beating his challenger Ald. Bob Donovan 70% to 30%. During that race, his fundraising total dwarfed those of his challenger.

The Original Black Panthers have repeatedly protested at Milwaukee Common Council meetings, sometimes holding signs threatening recalls targeting Barrett as well as Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton.

"We demand justice. We demand peace. We demand that the social and economic conditions that plague our communities cease and stop now," Farmer shouted during a September 2016 council meeting. "If you don't, we will make you change by any means necessary. Either you listen to us, or we will force you to listen to us. Milwaukee is suffering, and you aren't doing anything about it."

After walking out of the council chamber trailed by police officers, he said the group was putting politicians on notice, warning of disturbances, economic boycotts and recall elections.