Mail Tribune News - Gold Hill council members survive recall

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Gold Hill council members survive recall GOLD HILL -- Two council members narrowly escaped being recalled during a vote-by-mail election Tuesday. Some 133 voters said no and 122 said yes to the recall of Lisa Alexander, while 129 voters said no and 124 said yes to the recall of Bernadine Howard. Voter turnout was high with 41 percent, or 257 out of 634 registered voters returning ballots, according to Jackson County Elections data. "The council members should look at how close the numbers were," said Steve Hettum, chief petitioner of the recall effort. "Half the people of Gold Hill are dissatisfied." Neither Alexander nor Howard could be reached by telephone for comment on Wednesday. Hettum said he filed the recall petitions in response to the City Council's insistence on hiring a police chief despite a November advisory vote showing Gold Hill residents favoring a contract with Jackson County Sheriff's Office for police coverage. Hettum's argument against hiring a city police chief is that Gold Hill provides no system of checks and balances for a one-person police force. "When there is no accountability, it's a person's nature to veer from the proper course," he said. "If we contracted with Jackson County Sheriff's Office, there would be a built-in chain of command and many people to answer to.'' Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA