Mountain Home Recall Effort Against Mayor Rich Sykes
By Greg Pruett • September 1, 2020Last month the recall effort against Governor Brad Little failed to gather the necessary signatures required to put his name on the ballot for recall.
It was one of four official recalls that have been filed this year. Two other recalls are still underway against Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise and Boise City Councilmember Lisa Sanchez.
Yesterday was the deadline to turn in signatures for the recall effort of Mountain Home Mayor Rich Sykes. The total amount of time to gather signatures for a recall is 75 days and the last day to turn in signatures was on August 31st.
We have been informed by the recall organizers that they failed to gather the necessary signatures required to put Mayor Sykes name on the ballot.
When asked how many signatures they gathered the organizers told us they had approximately 500 signatures in total.
The group needed approximately 1,255 valid signatures. That means the recall effort gathered approximately 40% of the signatures required.
However, it is important to note that Idaho Dispatch has not counted the signatures gathered and they have not been verified either so the full number is not known at this time.
We have reached out to the organizers to ask for a statement on the recall effort and how they felt it went overall. At this time we have not received a response to our inquiry.
There was some controversy after the recall effort of Brad Little failed when images surfaced of the recall organizers burning the petitions.
The organizers claimed they wanted to destroy the signatures so that Governor Little could not retaliate against people who signed it. Once signatures are turned in, they are public record and can be requested by anyone.
We did also ask the organizers for recall of Mayor Sykes what they intended to do with the signatures. It should be noted that the Secretary of State’s office has told us that the signatures are the property of the organizers until they are turned in but there is no legal requirement for them to be turned in.
We have reached out to Mayor Sykes and asked him if he would like to release a statement on the failed recall attempt. He has not yet responded to our request but we will update the article if he does.
What do you think about the Mountain Home recall and the effort failing to garner the required amount of signatures?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Tags: Brad Little, Mountain Home, Recall, Rich Sykes