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Recall targets say petitions bend truth Shady Cove voters face decision on first set of elections Dec. 18; most allegations have to do with the water district activities By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune SHADY COVE - City Council member Allison Curtis said she's concerned about the recall campaign against the entire council. "It's just a crying shame," said Curtis, adding that she worries that the Citizens for Affordable Government have spread fear through misinformation. Bob Hawkins, member of the CAG and chief petitioner in the recall campaign, accuses the City Council of illegal and discriminatory actions. "We have no protection from what they do," said Hawkins. The petitions call for recalls of City Council members Lois Holland, Jack Henson, Fred Wendt and Curtis as well as Mayor Tom Anderson. Holland and Henson face a recall election Dec. 18, Wendt and Curtis face a recall election Jan. 8, and the city is awaiting signature verification for a petition on Anderson. The elections are expected to cost $1,800 to $2,000 each. The petitions contain seven allegations, one of which refers to the boundary for the city's water district. According to Hawkins, the water district committee has isolated and removed mobile home parks from its district, which essentially discriminates against senior citizens. "The district is 100 percent separate from the city," said Henson, who has served on the water district committee. Mobile home parks have voted two times against the water district, he said, so the committee came up with a plan in which residents of mobile home parks would not be included or charged. "The door is open in the future if mobile home parks want to join," he added. "We do not discriminate against people in mobile home parks," said Curtis. "We have their best interest at heart, just like every citizen of Shady Cove." Another allegation on the petition is that there were water district meetings not open to the public in which two council members and the mayor were present. Hawkins says that such a gathering constitutes a City Council meeting. Mayor Anderson says that while that would constitute a City Council meeting, it never happened, because he attended only meetings in which one council member was present. Another allegation is that the council funded a private committee illegally. Hawkins said that the water district illegally financed a citywide survey with city funds. Henson said the accusation refers to $10,000 the city set aside in the budget for updating a water study to determine the cost of a water district. "We've never spent the money because we got a grant," said Henson, adding that there is nothing illegal about their setting that money aside. Also on the petition is the allegation that the council voted to illegally spend the police levy fund. "They were using police salaries; they were spending the money for health insurance and stuff," said Hawkins. "Salaries include benefits," said Anderson, adding that according to the city attorney, auditor and accountant, a salary includes such benefits as health insurance. The petition also includes the statement that the council failed to provide equitable sewer rates for senior citizens and disabled veterans. "There used to be a function for someone below poverty level to apply for reduced rate on their sewer rate," said Henson. "Because it was abused, we stopped doing it." Also on the petition are statements that the City Council voted to levy taxes when a surplus three times the tax amount was available, and that the council voted to create a public debt of more than $400,000 without voter approval, both of which violate state statutes, said Hawkins. Henson says Hawkins doesn't fully understand a city budget, and that even though one part of the city budget can have money in reserve, that money is set aside for a specific project, and can't be used for another project. "Just because the money's in the bank doesn't mean it isn't spoken for," said Henson. And the sewer rehabilitation project, of which $750,000 is being paid for with a grant, does have over $400,000 in loan. The loan will be paid for through user fees. "Voter approval's not required to do it," he said. Curtis said she has a copy of the petitions and that most of the signatures are from mobile home park residents. "I really am upset about it because a good number of the people in the mobile home parks believe what is being said to them (by the petitioners)," she said. "I'm hoping that the people who are aware of what's going on will get out and vote." 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.