The effort to recall Peru, Nebraska Mayor Katy Novak has failed to gain enough support to move to a vote. According to Nemaha County Clerk records, petitioner and former City of Peru employee Phillip Wemhoff of Peru circulated three petition pages and collected 60 signatures. Of those, six signatures were rejected, leaving 54 valid signatures—three short of the 57 required to place the recall measure on the ballot. To be considered valid, each signature must belong to a current registered voter who resides in the same political district as the elected official whose recall is being sought.
Council members and Wemhoff were asked for comment but couldn’t be reached.
Novak was elected in November 2024. On October 20 of this year, Wemhoff filed the recall petition, alleging that the mayor engaged in “misappropriate handling of city monies, including wages and unnecessary purchases; inappropriate communication with city council and city employees; and not having the community’s best interest.”
