Goodrich – The planned recall to oust four of the five Goodrich village councilmembers appears to have come to a halt, at least for now.
Village resident Greg Tankersley, who spearheaded the recall effort, said he won’t move forward until after the November 2008 election.
‘I want to wait and see who gets elected,? said Tankersley. ‘I am still not sure if I will run.?
The original petition, filed in October 2007 by Tankersley to remove Councilmembers Richard Horton, David Lucik, Pete Morey and Village Council President Edmund York, was rejected due to a petition slip-up on Jan. 23. Not named in the recall petition was Councilmember Patricia Wartella.
However, when those petitions were rejected, Tankersley filed new petitions a few days later, with similar language stating councilmembers failed to balance the budget without using previous budget surpluses. The new language was approved on Feb. 14 by Judge Robert Weiss and Genesee County Clerk Michael Carr.
However, the slip-up would have required Tankersley to obtain the 199 petition signatures all over again.
‘Even though I am not going to continue the recall effort, I still want a truly balanced budget, not a budget balanced by deficit spending. I am looking for prudent spending,? said Tankersley. ‘One of the best things that came out of the door-to-door petition signing, was being able to explain to our residents why they should be concerned about the village budget and encouraging them to become involved in the monthly village council meetings.?
Up for re-election are Patricia Wartella, David Lucik and Pete Morey. The deadline to file for the village council election in November is May 13.
According to the Genesee County Elections Division, a recall petitioner cannot file a petition six months before an election or six months after a councilmember is elected.
That means if Tankersley pursues another recall after the election, it wouldn’t be until sometime in June 2009 when he could officially pursue it.
‘I am going to continue to be at every single village meeting, and will be encouraging others to attend,? he said.
Tankersley said the recall wasn’t personal.
‘They are all great guys, they devote a lot of their time to the village and I think Pete Morey does a great job,? said Tankersley. ‘They just spend more money than they take in. By June of 2008, they will have spent $800,000 of our past surpluses, and by January 2009 it will be too late.?