The Dodge County sheriff says a union vote of no-confidence is politically motivated after she announced last week that she was mounting a write in campaign for the office. The Dodge County sheriff’s employee’s union says a no confidence vote for sheriff Pat Ninmann signals a call for new leadership. The union says Ninmann’s management style is crude and biased with uneven and unfair administration of discipline. Ninmann says certain union members have enaged in acts of defiance because she expects them to perform a fair days work for a fair days pay. “I do believe this is politically motivated by my opponent. When I got the letter was I shocked, surprised? No, I was expecting something,” Ninmann said. Republican nominee, sheriff’s sergeant Dale Schmidt says he had no part in the union vote and says the results are telling. “What came out in this no confidence vote is not simply from these employees, this is something that goes across the entire department. The environment at the sheriff’s department is one of high anxiety,” Schmidt told WFDL news. Ninmann says she believes there’s a faction in the department that don’t want her to be sheriff because she is a woman. “Yes, and not all my employees because I am telling you I have a lot of great employees, but there are some individuals who do not like taking directives from a woman,” Ninmann said. Schmidt says that is insulting. “I am the husband of a beautiful wife, I have a beautiful young daughter and for her to insult the voters saying Dodge County isn’t ready for a female sheriff should insult all the voters,” Schmidt said. Ninmann lost an August Republican primary to Schmidt by just 310 votes. She was appointed sheriff in April 2013 by Governor Scott Walker after sheriff Todd Nehls retired.
