Technicality threatens to thwart Dickinson mayoral recall effort City attorney: Petition organizers failed to have each petition properly notarized More than 10 days ago, organizers of a recall effort for Dickinson Mayor Sean Skipworth delivered more than 1,000 signatures from voters who agreed they want the city to have an election to decide if the mayor stays or goes. For the recall committee, the aim was to acquire 697 signatures from registered City of Dickinson voters to force a recall election of the mayor. After a review of the petitions, 945 signatories were affirmed to be Dickinson voters. While there were enough signatures to force a recall, the committee missed a critical technical requirement, Dickinson City Attorney Nghiem Doan said. Each petition page has space for 20 signatures and voters’ identification. A requirement for the petitions is that each must be notarized. The notary is also supposed to individually confirm how many signatures were on each petition sheet and note that figure on the petition sheet. It is that requirement that almost all the petitions fell short. Doan, as required by city ordinance, had to - by certified mail - inform the five petition committee members that the petitions were lacking and thus could not be certified. Former Dickinson City Councilman Wally Deats, one of the petition committee members, said he had received the certified letter as of Tuesday. Deats, who is joined by Kathryn Palmer, Susan Wilcox, and former Dickinson Council Members Bruce Henderson and Louis Decker on the committee, said it was unclear what the committee will do next. Once the letter from the city attorney is delivered to the committee members, they will have five days to take action. They may choose to appeal to the city council to ratify the petition. That has to be done during a regularly scheduled meeting, the next is set for Feb. 27.

Posted by i45NOW TJ Aulds at 2024-01-24 11:54:42 UTC