Superior, Wisconsin: Now Hiring — Adults in Charge

A city whose government apparently runs on vibes, not qualifications — is back in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons.

Mikayla Marie LeRette, a Superior PD investigator (and wife of Chief Paul Winterscheidt — because you can’t have a small-town scandal without family politics), is suing the city for everything short of emotional whiplash.
Why?
Because she was forced to pump breast milk in a public shower stall AND because the cops allegedly tracked her car like she was Jason Bourne — all under the proud watch of Mayor Jim “Not My Problem” Paine.

Lawsuits, Lactation, and Lawlessness

According to the lawsuit, LeRette returned to work after maternity leave and was greeted with a stunning display of 1950s workplace misogyny:

• No private lactation space.

• A chair shoved behind a curtain in the women’s shower.

• Male janitors and fellow officers strolling in mid-pump like it was open mic night at the world’s worst comedy club.

• Supervisors literally sighing in disgust while she tried to use a breast pump, because why not sprinkle a little casual workplace harassment on top of systemic incompetence?

And just when you thought the story couldn’t get more dystopian, former Captain Thomas “Big Brother” Champaigne allegedly had a tracking device slapped on her squad car, following her every move without so much as a warrant, a heads-up, or a shred of dignity.
Nothing says “we respect our officers” like low-key stalking them on city time.

Mayor Jim Paine: Shrugging All the Way to the Next Lawsuit

Enter Mayor Jim Paine — a man so spectacularly unqualified to manage a crisis, he’s basically the human version of “thoughts and prayers.”
Paine insists:

“I don’t want to paint a picture of an absolute crisis here.”

Which is what you say right before the Titanic splits in half.

And speaking of “crisis management,” RW Management’s 2019 independent report (you know, the one Paine would love for you to forget) literally recommended that Superior create a City Administrator position — because Paine lacked the “professional qualifications and experience” to manage daily operations.
Translation:
“Nice guy, maybe. Qualified mayor? Not even close.”

The consultants politely suggested that maybe, just maybe, it’s time to bring in an adult who’s actually read a management book, and doesn’t think ‘external consulting firm’ is just code for “someone else’s problem.”

Superior’s New Reality: Pay Up, Shut Up

Between the lawsuit costs, legal fees, consultant invoices, and morale circling the drain like a dead goldfish, Superior taxpayers might want to start budgeting for a few more zeros on next year’s city spending.

Because while Paine keeps calling for $50,000 “outside reviews” every time the PD sets itself on fire, the lawsuits are starting to pile up like unpaid parking tickets on a ‘92 Buick.
And let’s be honest:
At this pace, Superior’s biggest line item isn’t public safety or infrastructure — it’s hush money.

Final Thought:

If Jim Paine were running a McDonald’s, the ice cream machine would not only be broken — it would be on fire, sued, and under federal investigation.

But hey, at least the fries would still be cold, right?