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Shady Cove man aims recall at City Council By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune SHADY COVE - Saying the City Council doesn't listen to its constituents, a three-year resident has filed a recall petition against two of its members. Bob Hawkins, 76, filed petitions with the city Monday to recall Lois Holland, who has served eight years on the council, and Jack Henson, a six-year council member. "I've been brutalized," Hawkins said. "There's a lot of people who have been brutalized, as far as I'm concerned." He said the council is making decisions without getting public input, especially regarding the city's water supply - a hotly debated topic in recent years. "I have a heavy, heavy heart about this whole situation," Holland said Tuesday. "I've tried to do what's right for the citizens. I don't feel (Hawkins and co-petitioner Roy Staton) are working with the right facts. I feel they're working on assumptions." At issue is whether Shady Cove should form a water district and who should vote on it. Shady Cove currently relies on private and shared wells that sometimes go dry in the summer months. Residents have twice voted against a city water system, but advocates are hoping to try again in May. They say a municipal water district would provide a reliable supply of treated water from the Rogue River. "(The City Council) got the mobile home parks out of the district so they can't vote," Hawkins says. "They're discriminating against seniors." Those forming the district are the ones who proposed the boundaries be the city limits but exclude the mobile home park residents, Henson said. Those residents have fixed incomes and high-producing, reliable wells and have traditionally voted against a city water system. "The water district has nothing to do with (the City Council)," Henson said. The water district is expected to appear on the ballot in May 2002. Hawkins gathered about 155 signatures for the recall petition, which was sent to the county Elections Office for verification. At least 120 valid signatures are required before it can be placed on the ballot. Council members then have the option to resign or fight the recall. If they do not resign, an election is held within two months. Henson said he's not worried about losing his position. "I think the voters of Shady Cove have more sense than this," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.