Politics & Government

Waukesha County Clerk Says She will not Resign

Kathy Nickolaus is asking Government Accountability Board and county auditor to help make changes to practices and procedures in her office.

A heavily criticized Waukesha County clerk said in a prepared statement Tuesday she will not quit despite from the chairman of the Waukesha County Democratic Party.

The clerk, Kathy Nickolaus, has taken heat for not counting the city of Brookfield in the election night figures given to the media April 5. Because Brookfield was not included, it appeared state Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg had taken the lead over incumbent David Prosser. When the mistake was discovered during the Board of Canvassers, the results put Prosser above Kloppenburg  by about 7,500 votes in an election that some where calling a referendum on Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill legislation.

“I will serve the remainder of my term,” said Nickolaus, who told the media Thursday she had forgotten to save the data before distributing the unofficial numbers. “I understand why people are upset, and I am taking this matter seriously. Again, I am sorry for my mistake. I have immediately begun the process of reviewing my procedures.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I have also asked the Government Accountability Board and the Waukesha County auditor to assist my office in a review and implementation of improved practices and procedures to make sure the process is more transparent and this mistake does not happen again.

“I will use the remainder of my term to restore the voter’s confidence in me.”

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Waukesha