Recall Effort Launched Against Mayor Littlefield

[strickj]

Rut roo Raggy...

Folkner Cites Stormwater Increase, Tax Hike Proposal, Trying To "Dump" Police Department

posted May 28, 2010

A citizens group on Friday afternoon filed a petition at the Election Office that seeks to recall Mayor Ron Littlefield.

Jim Folkner, a businessman who lives on Mountain Creek Road, is leading the effort.

Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, election administrator, said the Election Commission will take up the issue of the petition at its meeting June 16 at 8 a.m.

She said based on an earlier mayoral recall effort the group would need to get in the range of 13,000-16,000 signatures.

If the group gets the required number of signatures and they are found to be by verified city residents, then "the mayor is automatically recalled and the board of election commissioners shall at once order and fix a date for holding said successor election. . ."

The petition cites these grounds:

"Count 1: The Mayor has requested large and unnecessary stormwater fees and permit increases to cover four years of negligence in handling these permits.

"Count 2: The Mayor ignored civic groups, the police, and judges and declared a gang problem which threatens our city to be non-existent. At the same time, the Mayor has tried to dump the city police department onto the county.

"Count 3: The Mayor has annexed thousands of people, without their vote, billing the city taxpayers to provide them services they do not want or need. Further, the Mayor is attempted to raise our taxes 33 percent to pay for these services and his other plans."

Ms. Mullis-Morgan said petitions shall be signed by at least 15 percent of those registered to vote in the city. The Election Commission has 30 days after the filing to check it out, then the those who are filing have 15 days to change anything that needs changing. Those who are filing the petition have to get it back at least 60 days before the general election. That would be about the first of September to be included on the November ballot.

During a short-lived recall attempt by Frank DePinto last year officials said there are conflicting city and state ordinances and laws dealing with the issue.

Mr. DePinto was told he would need to get 9,387 signatures (under the city requirement), but to be "safe" would need the 14,859 signatures required under the state law dealing with recall.

That effort was dropped after the city moved from once-a-month recycling pickup to twice-a-month.

5/28/2010 - Recall Effort Launched Against Mayor Littlefield - Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com

Anyone who resides around Chattanooga knows all too well how bad of a mayor he is.

[StPatrick]

Any chance you'd take a slightly used (okay, thoroughly used - rode hard and put away wet by Brady and Bloomberg) Bill Haslam? We don't want him here in Nashville, and Chattanooga would give him a whole new venue in which to aid gun control advocates and then deny it later. Waddayasay?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Any chance you'd take a slightly used (okay, thoroughly used - rode hard and put away wet by Brady and Bloomberg) Bill Haslam? We don't want him here in Nashville, and Chattanooga would give him a whole new venue in which to aid gun control advocates and then deny it later. Waddayasay?

Would that be our punishment for allowing Corker out of Hamilton County? <g>