PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. — Embattled Sheriff David W. Zoerner appears to be pulling out all the stops in his quest to remain sheriff. Zoerner, whose own command staff has publicly turned against him and whose support among deputies has evaporated, is viewed by many critics as having an approval rating that is effectively near zero within significant portions of his own agency. He now finds himself featured in a glossy, feel-good magazine profile that many Pleasant Prairie residents view as little more than campaign literature disguised as a community-interest story.
Kenosha County Eye was contacted by no fewer than 10 residents after the July edition of Prairie Neighbors magazine began arriving in mailboxes. Although the residents reached out independently, they expressed strikingly similar concerns. Each questioned why a publication that promotes itself as a positive, family-oriented, nonpolitical community magazine would devote a lengthy feature to a sitting sheriff actively seeking reelection less than two months before voters head to the polls.
Many Pleasant Prairie residents disputed the notion that the article was simply another routine community profile. They think the publication was straight-forward — a push to help a struggling candidate get momentum in his home Village.
The controversy arrives at a difficult time politically for Zoerner. Members of his command staff have publicly broken ranks with the incumbent sheriff, and deputies and corrections staff overwhelmingly rejected him during the endorsement process conducted by their association. The public split within the Sheriff’s Office has become one of the defining issues of the campaign.
Residents were particularly critical of one photograph showing the Zoerner family holding a custom-made banner emblazoned with the words “Sheriff Zoerner” beneath a “250th Anniversary” logo. Critics argued that including a personalized display bearing the sheriff’s title and name further blurred the line between a community-interest feature and political promotion, especially less than two months before an election.
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Seeking comment, Kenosha County Eye contacted Prairie Neighbors publisher Toni Harrington and asked whether she was surprised by the public reaction, whether she believed publishing a feature on a sitting sheriff during an active election campaign could reasonably be perceived as political, and how Zoerner came to be selected for the article.
In response, Harrington denied that the article was intended to serve as a political endorsement. She stated that the Zoerner family had been nominated by community members and said the publication would include a disclaimer in its August edition clarifying that resident features are community-focused and not intended as political endorsements.
However, Harrington largely sidestepped several questions posed by Kenosha County Eye, including whether she was surprised by the public reaction, whether she believed featuring a sitting sheriff during an active reelection campaign could reasonably be perceived as political, and who specifically nominated Zoerner for the article.
Kenosha County Eye also contacted Zoerner and asked how he came to be featured in the publication, whether he had any involvement in the nomination process, and whether anyone associated with him encouraged the nomination. As of publication, Zoerner had not responded.
After reviewing Harrington’s response, Kenosha County Eye spoke again with several of the residents who had initially raised concerns about the feature. None indicated that Harrington’s explanation changed their opinion.
Those residents said they simply do not believe the article’s timing, presentation, and imagery were coincidental. Several pointed specifically to the inclusion of a photograph featuring a custom banner bearing the words “Sheriff Zoerner” and argued that publishing a glowing profile of a sitting sheriff seeking reelection less than two months before an election made the publication’s purpose obvious.
The residents emphasized that they were not objecting to Prairie Neighbors taking political positions if that is what the publication wishes to do. Rather, they said their concern is that a magazine marketed as a wholesome, nonpartisan community publication appears to have devoted significant space to promoting the image of a political candidate during an active campaign.
Whether readers accept Harrington’s explanation or not, the reaction has been swift and unusually consistent. For at least some Pleasant Prairie residents, the July issue has raised questions about where community storytelling ends and political advocacy begins.
One Response
Toni could have published that article AFTER the election. When I saw that cover I felt it was clearly a political favor, and very obviously so. Is she going to now give all the other candidates equal coverage before the election arrives?