Goodrich-The recall is all but dead.
That’s the message from village resident Diane Fredericks, who spearheaded the recall effort which was OK’d by the county in June. A deadline to obtain signatures from village voters to put the recall of four councilmembers on the Feb. 23, 2010 ballot will be Nov. 20.
‘Next year several of the council will be up for reelection when their terms expire,? said Fredericks.
‘It’s time for a change and we’ll do it at the ballot box. The people will voice their opinions and I would hope they will see they are spending recklessly.?
The number of signatures needed was 25 percent of the registered voters in the village who voted in the last gubernatorial election, or 199 village residents.
Allegations of refusal to reduce village costs prompted the recall petitions aimed at ousting Councilmembers Richard Horton, David Lucik and Pete Morey, as well as Council President Edmund York, filed by Fredericks. Councilmember Patricia Wartella was not named.
If the recall was successful in February 2010, four temporary councilmembers would be appointed until a May 2010 election. Those terms would run until the November 2010 election, when Councilmembers Lucik’s, Horton’s and York’s terms would have expired if they had not been recalled. Councilmember Morey’s term expires in 2012.
‘It should have never started in the first place. If you could do the math, you could see we are doing a great job,? said Morey.
‘We’ve made the cuts necessary and are taking this village in the direction it should be heading.?
York questions the practicality of the recall and the impact on the budget during tough economic times in the village.
Atlas Township Clerk Terri Onica said the cost to taxpayers would have been about $2,000’with one precinct established just for village voters open.