Many people have asked my opinion on the recall election for City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small and I have told them personally my opinion on the matter. However, I want to officially state my opion publicly.
For the record, I am not in favor of the recall election nor the process that brought about this recall election. The process and the law that allows this to happen, in my opinion is very flawed and subjective. The law states that at anytime a group of people that wants to recall an elected official can get a petition signed by 25% of the total amount of people that voted in the last election and they can call for a recall of that elected official.
It takes 50% plus one vote to be elected to an office and it takes only 25% of the votes of the previous election to have that same elected official removed from that office, even if that person has just been elected to that office. The law does not give a time period.
There were approximately 3000 people who voted in the last city council election in District One for Mrs. Bellamy -Small. Therefore, the petition to have a recall election only needed approximately 750 registered voters to ask for a recall election, which will undo what approximately 1550 people voted for.
The law as it stands now, allows for citizens to file and make frivolous complaints aganist an elected official, without any verifiable facts. It is my opinion that an elected official should only be removed from office and subjected to a recall effort, only if that elected official committed a felony or a serious misdemeanor cime or some serious immoral act.
This is not the case with City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small. It is my opionion that this sets a bad precedent, which is not good for our electoral process. This election is scheduled to be conducted on August 21, 2007 and will cost the County over $30,000.00 to conduct. The primary election will be October 2, 2007, just 43 days later than the recall election. That should be the time that the citizens in District one let their voices be heard.
It is my hope that this election does not take place and that the U. S. Justice Department will determine that this is a frivolous complaint and throw the case out. However, if the election does take place, I would hope that the recall election is defeated and the citizens in District One will go to the polls on October 2, 2007 and elect two people in the primary election and then elect their representative for a two year period on November 6, 2007, whoever that might be.
Election day is also evaluation day for elected officials and the citizens at that time, should let their elected officials know whether they have done a good job, or not.
That's my opinion, what's yours?
Comments:
Cheerily
IJK
Your comments above about the recall process are understandable.
But you fail to address Bellamy-Small's representation of her district. Do you support her actions as a councilwoman and are you discounting the fact that 46% of the petitioners were African American and stated they wanted their current councilwoman removed?
Will you support her in the November election?
Citizens of District 1 have made a strong statement regardless of the timing of the recall.
Do you plan to respond?
As I stated above, the voters in district one should evaluate Mrs. Bellamy-Small's performance over the past two years and if they do not give her a passing grade, then they should vote for someone else in October and/or November to represent them on the city council.
Election Day is also known as Evaluation Day, if you don't get a good evaluation, then you don't get re-elected. For now, I will leave that call to the people in District one to make without my influence one way or the other.
However, as a member of the George Simkins Memorial Political Action Committee we will be interviewing the City Council candidates in all races this fall and will make our recommendations to the community for their consideration.
I will support whatever recommendation the Simkins PAC will make concerning the election for the District One City Council race, after we interview all of the candidates that will be running in that district.