Ament had served as chairman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1992.
After a scandal over pensions for county employees, an effort was mounted by conservative special interest group Citizens for Responsible Government in early 2002 to recall Ament.
[1] The group collected over 100,000 petition signatures to force a recall election.
By retiring instead of resigning, Ament remained eligible to claim his own pension.
[2] He was replaced by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske on an interim basis and by state Representative Scott Walker, a Republican, following a special election.