McAlester Officials Face Recall Effort

The Daily Oklahoman ^ | 01-11-05 | Anthony Thornton

[Osage Orange]

McAlester Officials Face Recall Effort

By Anthony Thornton

The Oklahoman

McALESTER - Angry voters launched a petition drive Monday night to recall city council members they consider negligent in the purchase of nearly $600,000 in unused leave and sick time by the city manager. More than 100 residents packed a restaurant to air grievances and to begin recall petitions against Mayor Dale Covington and four of the six council members.

Longtime City Manager Randy Green is looking for a new job after disclosures that he made $579,500 by selling off hundreds of unused vacation and sick days he had accumulated since 1999.

The council voted unanimously last week to suspend Green for 20 days and then fire him.

Green counters that each of his contracts was signed by Covington and approved by the council.

The buybacks were mentioned just once during the citizen group's hourlong meeting. Their reasons already had been the city's hot topic for weeks. Now, it was time for action.

The group agreed there was no cause to recall recently elected council members Greg Rock and Donnie Condit, who had no part in the buyback policy.

"I suggest ... that we get rid of all the rest, including the mayor," resident James Ledgerwood said.

Even if the cost of a recall election is high, voters need to send a message "that we won't tolerate this. Future government needs to know that," said another resident, Tom Curtis.

Still another, Tamara Morris, said she hopes that once the recall targets know the cost to the city, they will resign.

The group applauded when volunteers offered to organize the petitions for the four council members: Michael Dawkins, Charles "Shorty" Repass, Louis Smitherman and Dale Nave.

They seemed most vocal about Covington and Nave, who as a former police chief was paid $66,165 for unused leave.

Nave is among eight current and former department heads who have been paid a total of $322,930 since 2001 for unused leave.

Resident Mel Stubbings led the meeting and cautioned that petition organizers must not become candidates for council seats.

"The reason is, we're trying to rebuild trust. There must be no conflicts," Stubbings said.

Recalling the mayor would require signatures of about 2,000 city residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election. Far fewer signatures would be needed to recall the council members.

Contacted at his home after the meeting, Covington said he won't resign and doesn't expect his colleagues to, either.

"I don't know why I'd resign. I haven't done anything wrong," he said.

The mayor said he expects a federal grand jury to indict Green "just anytime now," and he is convinced that he and the council will be exonerated.

Green said he was questioned by the FBI in July. Investigators are thought to be looking at the number of Green's amended contracts -- sometimes more than one per year -- and whether he accumulated 33 more leave days on each.

"When their indictment comes down, these people will understand what went on," Covington said.

Until then, he said, "They can do what they want to do. ... They have no idea what's gone on."

The council is scheduled to vote tonight (Tuesday) on a proposal by new Councilman Greg Rock to rescind the "buyback" policy.

[Osage Orange]

People all over the country took notice....of the recall in Calif.

I'd like to think that people are waking up a bit.....

We shall see, what we shall see.........

[IamConservative]

"Green is looking for a new job after disclosures that he made $579,500 by selling off hundreds of unused vacation and sick days he had accumulated since 1999."

How does one accrue "hundreds" of unused vacation and sick days in 5 years?

And $579,000?

Either WAY TOO MUCH leave or WAY TOO BIG of salary for a Town Manager...

[Osage Orange]

Your two questions are at the center of the problem.

His salary isn't/wasn't in question. It appears that's probably in line.....although I'm not certain of that.

FRegards,