D-49 Recall One Step Closer
By Tak Landrockt.landrock@krdo.comFollow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/taklandrock
EL PASO COUNTY – Parents and community members who vowed to recall board members Kent Clawson and Dave Martin are one step closer to making that a reality.
The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office approved the petitions after determining everything was in order. The group will begin collecting signatures this weekend.
“We are excited that the petition got approved and we can move forward,” says D-49 parent Tracy Stuehm.
The group will hold a public meeting this Saturday at the Stetson Hills Police substation (4110 Tutt Blvd) at 9 a.m. to get organized and find those who can help collect signatures.
The group needs to get about 3,500 signatures for each board member and they’ll have 60 days to turn in the petition. The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder will then have 10 days to verify each signature, and if there are no protests, the recall elections can move forward.
“It is hard to know when the recall election will happen,” says Election Manager Liz Olsen. The group was hoping to have the elections during the general election in November to keep costs down. Olsen couldn’t give NEWSCHANNEL 13 a cost figure until the petition process is complete.
Board member Dave Martin tells NEWSCHANNEL 13, “I will do my job as a board member first and then I will worry about the recall.” He adds that D-49 residents should ask questions of organizers before signing the petition. “Ask yourself if your happy with your child’s education,” says Martin.
The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder was in charge of the D-11 recall election in 2006. The cost of that recall was nearly $190,000. Olsen says because D-49 is much smaller it should not cost that much.
As NEWSCHANNEL 13 first reported earlier this year, the recall effort started when parents became upset over the district’s decision not to renew the contracts of two high school principals.
