Recall petition turned in for Councilmember Howell

Councilmember Judy Howell remembers how many people voted her into office last May -- 486. She's hoping they don't forget her should she be recalled.

Petitions for her recall were turned in to the City Clerk last Thursday. Clerk Suzy Wetzel did not have a chance to count the exact number as of Friday.

The resident that circulated the petition -- Eloise DeSpain -- said she didn't remember how many signatures she gathered but that it was more than the 245 needed.

After learning of the signatures, Howell said she would first wait to see if enough were valid then leave her future in city politics up to the registered voters.

"A recall is the citizens taking advantage of their Constitutional right to petition, which is what I've advocated for," she said. "As far as the possibility of a recall, if that's what the citizens want, that's fine because I was elected on a campaign of open government."

DeSpain said she didn't enjoy having to collect the signatures and said she didn't have problems with Howell personally. The reason DeSpain gave on the recall petition was that Howell was "unprepared for discussion of action items on council agenda and does not understand the Open Meeting Laws, Robert's Rules of Order, the public bidding processÉ"

DeSpain applied for the recall petition 15 days after Maria "Bunny" Gamez applied for recall petitions for Mayor Jim Boles and three other Council members. Only the petition for Boles was turned into the Clerk, who has forwarded the signatures to the Recorder's Office.

Gamez also successfully circulated a petition to send a rezoning issue to a referendum election, which takes place Sept. 13.

With all the petitions whirling about, DeSpain said many people she spoke to were confused and misinformed about which petition was which and for what.

"The wells have been poisoned deeply," she said. "People didn't know the issue."

Wetzel has until June 16 to forward the signatures to the Navajo County Recorder's Office. The county has 60 days from receiving the signatures to verify each and every one.

Howell's term is scheduled to end in May 2008.