Secessionists Fear Putting Their Names on Request

Secessionists have refused to place their individual names on a formal application to secede for fear of being stuck with the bill for the barrage of lawsuits that is expected to follow, leaders of the movement said Wednesday.

Concerned that members could lose their homes and other belongings in legal battles, secession group Valley VOTE asked the Local Agency Formation Commission to change the application so that those who sign it are not forced to defend and indemnify the panel.

“Clearly, they are scared,” said Valley VOTE Chairman Richard Close. “Every dollar of their assets is at risk. It would wipe out their life savings.”

The nine-member panel, which will preside over the attempted breakup of America’s second-largest city, unanimously agreed to consider the issue and revisit it April 14.

Before the vote, however, panelist and county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke admonished secession leaders for not having considered the potentially costly consequences of their actions. She warned her agency colleagues to move carefully to avoid putting the panel at risk.

“We’re talking about something that involves billions and billions of dollars,” Burke said. “This cannot be done in an ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’ kind of way. This is not going to be done haphazardly. We are not going out on a limb.”