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HAZE Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 11, 2002 RVTD recall effort falls short of names Undaunted, recall organizers say they’ll start over, shooting for a January election By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Efforts to recall five of six members on the Rogue Valley Transportation District board of directors failed because each petition lacked the minimum 6,810 valid signatures required to hold an election, Jackson County Clerk Kathy Beckett said on Thursday. "I’m very relieved it isn’t going to cost the district $80,000 (to hold a recall election.)," said RVTD board chair Eva Avery. "Now we need to get back to the business of the district." But RVTD employee and chief recall petitioner Julie Brown said on Thursday that members of the United Community for RVTD have vowed to try again. Brown said supporters are re-filing recall papers and plan to gather enough signatures for a January election. "We’re going to try to get all the signatures in 30 days," Brown said. "We learned a lot of things. We’re going to be smarter this time." Prompted by the board’s decision to reject General Manager Sherrin Coleman’s contract renewal in June, RVTD employees launched a grass-roots effort to recall all board members except Edwin Chapman. Chapman has been vocal in his support for Coleman and his criticism of the RVTD board’s actions. The group, which has more than 70 participants, spent three months collecting signatures. By Sept. 30, the United Community for RVTD had gathered an estimated 7,900 signatures for each board member. But Brown said many residents who signed the petitions weren’t registered to vote. Other signatures were invalid because the supporters lived outside RVTD’s boundary. "The numbers do show a lot of people in the community supported this," she added. According to Beckett, the petition to recall Avery failed by 382 signatures. Kay Harrison’s petition was short 528 valid names. An extra 510 signatures were needed for Carol Bennett, 340 for Mary Wooding and 244 for Susan McKenzie. If the petitions had contained enough valid signatures, Beckett said the issue would have gone before voters Nov. 19. Recall supporters cannot add signatures to the petitions turned in on Sept. 30. "They start completely and totally over again," said Beckett. Spokeswoman Connie Skillman of the United Community for RVTD said new recall papers will be filed next week. The recall headquarters behind Costco on Lear Way will reopen on Oct. 19. It will be manned daily for the next month. The group plans to gather the necessary 6,810 signatures for each board member within 30 days. Skillman is seeking public support for the second attempt. Interested residents can contact her at 482-2148. "We’re not giving up on this," she said. "We need the community to step up." Chapman said he’s geared up to begin anew. "It’s so disappointing," he said. "Everyone is so upset that they will be out there tomorrow gathering more signatures." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S