Lazar-Fox Recall Group Offers Truce

The group hoping to recall Mayor Judy Lazar and Councilman Andy Fox said Tuesday that it would abandon its efforts if a rival group trying to recall Councilwoman Elois Zeanah does the same.

Kitty Radler, one of the leaders of Residents to Recall Fox and Lazar, said the group will stop its recall efforts if it receives a written promise from Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah that it will drop the Zeanah recall.

“If they give it to us in writing that they’re calling their recall off, we’ll call our recalls off,” Radler said.

But Peter J. Turpel, spokesman for Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah, said his group does not care what the other recall committee does.

“The whole concept behind this, as we’ve said before, is that a recall is for malfeasance, not a bargaining chip,” Turpel said. “Their proposal proves that they don’t really believe Fox and Lazar should be recalled for malfeasance. They’re going after them to try and stop the recall against Zeanah.”

Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah is evaluating its options after a Superior Court judge ruled last week that the format of the petitions it was using to gather recall signatures was potentially illegal.

Convinced that the 15,800 signatures it gathered to recall Zeanah are now worthless, the group is trying to decide whether to start a new signature gathering campaign or wait until next year’s elections to try to oust Zeanah.

Residents to Recall Fox and Lazar has yet to gather any signatures to place its recall measures on the ballot. The group’s proposed recall petition format was rejected last week by City Clerk Nancy Dillon for small technical infractions. It has decided to wait to submit a new petition format until it learns the plans of the other recall group.