The final batch of signatures for a recall petition against County Commissioner John West was submitted to the County Clerk on Halloween, bringing the total to just over 7,500 signatures.
One of the campaign鈥檚 directors, Jay Meredith, said they were able to reach their goal during the 90-day signature gathering period.
鈥淎bout 1,000 more than what the clerk required because ultimately there might be a couple of duplicates in there, there might be a couple that end up being not validated for whatever reason," Meredith said.
John West was the only commissioner targeted for the recall in part because Commissioner Herman Beartschiger decided not to run for re-election this November. Interim County Commissioner Andreas Blech was only appointed in late-July, and also decided not to run for election.
Meredith said they brought together a broad group of dissatisfied voters who feel their concerns haven鈥檛 been heard by county commissioners.
鈥淎nd when they bring these concerns before the commissioners, the commissioners are not respecting the voice of the people," he said.
Meredith said he was personally motivated by commissioners not providing enough funding to law enforcement during the last budget cycle.
He said some of the other groups include those disappointed by the decision to defund the OSU Extension Service District earlier this year, and a group who were mad about the decision to auction off county-owned timberland instead of selling the land to a conservation group.
Because of the upcoming November election, those signatures may not be validated by the county clerk until the end of the month. If they are, Meredith said they鈥檙e looking to hold a special election sometime in early January. He says he's confident they have enough signatures because they were validating them during the collection process.
