Council President Theresa Westfall Issues Defense Statement in Recall Process

Following up on coverage of the second recall in recent months in Peru civic leadership, Peru City Council President Theresa Westfall issued her formal defense statement to the Nemaha County Clerk ahead of the January 29 deadline. The defense statement, as well as the reason named for the recall, will be printed on all petition pages.
In her statement, Westfall wrote, “The petition’s accusations are baseless. As a council member I have utilized checks and balances to strive for fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency to protect Peru’s best interests. In fact, I will wholeheartedly support anything that betters the City of Peru. I have and will continue to work hard for and listen to the concerns of the citizens of Peru.”
Cindy De La Cruz, principal circulator, has until February 20 to collect 40 valid signatures to bring the recall question before Peru voters. In the petition, De La Cruz alleges that she seeks Westfall’s recall for misconduct, exceeding her authority, acting contrary to the city’s best interests, and conspiring with a former city employee to undermine the elected mayor’s ability to perform the duties of the office.
A previous petition filed by Philip Wemhoff, former city employee, to recall Mayor Katy Novak failed in December of 2025. Three petition pages were circulated and Wemhoff 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.
Under Nebraska Revised Statutes §32-1301 through 32-1309, if the petition meets the required threshold, voters will decide whether to retain or recall Westfall via a vote. A vote to retain would allow Westfall to serve out the remainder of the current term and a vote to recall would remove her from office and not allow her to seek re-election or be appointed to any role in the political subdivision until the remainder of the term has ended in 2028. State law also stipulates that if a recall effort fails, another attempt cannot be initiated for at least 12 months.