Bartley recall vote: A town divided

BARTLEY, Neb. – Several months of strife in Bartley, Nebraska will soon reach a point of resolution, if not a conclusion. Bartley, with a population of 270 people as of the 2020 census (it had 355 in 2000), has been the center of a controversy with all the makings of a daytime drama.

At the core of the dispute is a disagreement that might take place in any community. The Village Board spent money on what they believed to be necessary investments, including repairs to crumbling sidewalks and other infrastructure. They also purchased a building that will rehouse the library and add office and conference space for the village’s use.

As with many communities, the expense associated with the acquisition and improvements was more than many citizens were willing to bear. Add to that mix, a labor dispute with a beloved employee, accusations of sexual harassment, reports of stalking, and a resulting protection order.

Tensions became high enough that a group of citizens decided to overturn the composition of the board, and those trustees who didn’t resign voluntarily were subjected to a recall vote.

The Gazette spoke with Cori Hage, one of the two sitting members of the board of trustees who are subjects of the recall effort.

Hage believes that the true motivations underlying the recall effort were related to a $1.1 million downtown renovation project and that disputes associated with the village maintenance man were secondary. Those expenses, she contented were unavoidable expenditures that resulted from years of deferred maintenance.

Overall, Hage seemed to be more bothered by the language in the recall petition. “I wish they hadn’t lied,” was her initial response. The petition listed allegations, including failure to perform official duties and fraudulent activity.

Hage also questioned the validity of some of the signatures on the petition, but given the size of the town and a formula stipulated by statute, the petition required only 28 of the 40 signatures turned in to the Red Wilow County Clerk’s office.

In the end, Hage expressed her respect for the voters and the process – and she encourages people to vote regardless of perspective.

Speaking on background, one supporter of the petition said that the effort was driven by “a lack of transparency regarding financial transactions.” That issue, the supporter said, was further exacerbated when the board “attempted to fire the full-time maintenance manager.” The recall supporter continued, saying, “Bartley is obviously one of the cleanest and neatest little towns along Highway 34. There were accusations that he wasn’t doing his job and a sexual harassment claim which, when challenged at a town meeting, inexplicably was withdrawn.”

Jim Foster, the once-fired Maintenance Manager, acknowledged that he had been “mistreated” but downplayed that portion of the controversy. He has been back on the job for a month and says he can continue to work with the board regardless of the outcome of the recall.

That said, Foster predicted, “There’s not a chance in hell that they’re going to win the election.” Foster explained, “We want the village to get a decent-thinking board organized, and so far, we’ve got three good people and they’re doing a tremendous job.”

Foster concluded, “We just want the damned board back to normal. I mean, before this last board came on board, there was really no reason for 30 people to attend the board meeting because they had confidence in the board members.”

Red Willow County Clerk Penelope Cooper mailed ballots to all Bartley voters, 211 in total, on January 21. Voters can return ballots by mail or drop them off at the Red Willow County Courthouse. All ballots must be in by 5 p.m. on February 11. The count begins at 6 p.m.