WESTMINSTER : Recall Drives Fall Short of Signatures

Campaigns to oust Mayor Charles V. Smith and Councilman Craig Schweisinger failed to gather enough signatures to qualify a recall measure for the ballot.

The recall drives, which began last year during a controversy over water rates, originally targeted Smith, Schweisinger and Councilman Frank Fry, who all supported a 100% increase in the price of water. Fry, however, escaped the campaign against him last month because recall proponents failed to gather the 6,614 signatures necessary to force an election.

Although petitioners exceeded the number of required signatures to recall Smith and Schweisinger, officials at the county registrar of voters ruled last Friday that some were duplicates or were from voters who live outside Westminster.

After taking into account invalid signatures, City Clerk Mary Lou Morey said the petitions to recall Smith and Schweisinger fell short by 176 and 144 signatures, respectively.

“I’m glad that it’s all behind us now,” Smith said Monday. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re going back to city business as usual.”

But Schweisinger said he was angry about the recall drives, calling them frivolous and “a form of blackmail.” It cost the city about $9,500 to tally the signatures, and he said he would attempt to find out whether recall supporters could be forced to pay that tab.

“I don’t want the taxpayers to pay for counting those signatures,” Schweisinger said. “I want the petitioners to pay for it.”

Recall proponent Risa Willingham said Monday that she was disappointed that the drives failed but added: “I’m proud that we did something. . . . There’s an awful lot of people who signed. If (the councilmen) see this as a conquest for them, they’re just really mistaken. I hope they take it as a message. I hope they wake up.”