FULLERTON : Recall Group Accuses City of Delaying Vote

The Fullerton Recalls Committee, a group that successfully campaigned for the ouster of Mayor A.B. (Buck) Catlin and City Council members Molly McClanahan and Don Bankhead, has accused the city of delaying a special election to replace the three city officials.

Committee members said they want the special election to take place in October, before the Nov. 8 general election.

But city officials, who announced earlier this month that the special election will be consolidated with the general election, said holding the elections together would save money.

Under the California election code, a special election must be held from 114 to 129 days after the day the results are submitted to the City Council by the city clerk, Anne N. York. Earlier this month, 13,919 residents voted for a special election to replace the three city officials.

York has not formally submitted the results to the council. The registrar of voters completed certifying the June 7 election results June 14, but York did not submit the results to the council at Tuesday’s council meeting, making the election in October impossible.

City Atty. R.K. Fox said York will submit the results to the City Council at the July 5 meeting.

Thomas S. Babcock, Recalls Committee chairman, said the city should have been notified of the results at this week’s meeting so that the special election could be held in October.

“The election should have been certified immediately,” Babcock said. “The city is purposely delaying the special election so Molly, Don and Buck can stay in office as long as possible. . . . The people of Fullerton said they wanted the three council members to be removed from office with a special election as soon as possible. I guess we were naive to think that the city would listen.”

City officials said those replacing McClanahan and Catlin would serve in office for about three weeks because their terms expire in November.

“That doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense,” Fox said. “It will make no difference whether there are two elections or one.”

Bankhead’s term does not expire until 1996. The winner in that election will serve until Bankhead’s term ends.