Petitions counted: only Sova, Occhiato face recall
elections By JAMES AMOS
The Pueblo Chieftain
Enough valid signatures have been collected by opponents of the city's suspended smoking ban to force a recall election for two city council members, but it may not matter.
City Clerk Gina Dutcher announced Monday that her office finished checking signatures on recall petitions filed against Bill Sova, Mike Occhiato, Ted Lopez Jr. and Bob Schilling.
The petitions targeting Sova and Occhiato had enough signatures, almost 3,700 each, to force a recall election against the two councilmen if they don't resign from council in five days, Dutcher said.
The petitions targeting Schilling and Lopez were 87 and 12 signatures short, respectively, according to Dutcher.
The recall election may rest with council at its next meeting Monday when it debates a proposed compromise to the smoking ban, which was suspended in January. If council OKs the compromise, the recall election won't take place.
Neither attorneys for smoking ban opponents, Puebloans for Common Sense in Government, nor City Attorney Tom Jagger would release details of the compromise.
But officials for Common Sense said Monday that if council were to repeal the ban and pass a compromise that allows smoking in some public areas - especially bars - they would halt the recall efforts.
That appeared more possible Monday after Occhiato said that he just wants to drop the ban, which outlaws smoking in almost all businesses and places open to the public, including bars.
"The compromise ordinance is essentially not that different than what we have now (that the ban is suspended)," Occhiato said. "We've had enough division and brain damage on this in the community. Why not just drop the whole thing?"
Occhiato said he changed his stance because "it was just a lot of pressure from (Chieftain Publisher) Bob Rawlings, the chamber group and a lot of people in the community.
"It's an issue that really divided the community, it divided the council. We need to just state that both sides overreacted and just drop it," Occhiato said.
If council does not approve the compromise, Common Sense will pursue the recall and sue to have Schilling and Lopez included in it, according to one of the group's lawyers, Joe Losavio.
City officials increased the number of signatures needed to prompt a recall against each of the four council members just days before the first set of recall petitions was due. Losavio said the city wrongly interpreted state law to increase the numbers.
If a compromise isn't passed, the city must schedule the recall election within 30-40 days.
Dutcher said the special election could cost the city $60,000 to $70,000. Her office already has spent more than $1,500 on overtime and for part-time employees to check petitions signatures, she said.
The business owners really need to grow a set, and stand up for themselves. The City Council RULERS need to GO!
"Brain damage?" What the heck is that supposed to mean?
Boy, this guy can't back pedal fast enough, huh?