Recall Update

Volunteers working to recall Councilman Lance MacLean announced the signature drive reached the halfway mark on Mon., May 4. The recall group said that more than 4,650 signatures have been gathered. Approximately 9,300 valid ones are needed by the Aug. 25 deadline.

During the past week, volunteers reported new incidents of harassment by MacLean and his supporters. The most hostile one was a woman who came to a table in front of a drugstore on May 5. A recall volunteer sent the following report:

“A woman (dark hair, about 60 years old and 5’ 10”) came up to me at 4:15 on Tuesday afternoon and started yelling. She yelled at me for awhile, and then she went into the store and yelled at the manager. He came out and said she was still in his store throwing a fit. MacLean’s supporters have no qualms about disrupting business, becoming abusive and trying to force a store into taking a position on city politics.”

The volunteer discovered from talking to the store manager that he had also received a call from his district manager. A woman had called the district office to complain about signature gathering at the storefront. This report aligns with information from a nearby grocery story. Councilwoman Trish Kelley called a grocery story manager to try and stop signature gatherers from working at his storefront. Kelley identified herself as a councilwoman and former mayor. Two activists who talked with store employees were able to confirm Kelley was the one who called and tried to disrupt signature gathering.

One of the activists commented, “The grocery store has been extraordinarily good to the community, and they are neutral on politics. They donate to charities and bend over backwards to please customers. One of the employees told us the only problem they are having about the recall is with MacLean’s supporters.”

On Sat., May 9, MacLean spent approximately 10 minutes harassing two volunteers at a storefront. He sat down next to their table and attempted to block signatures. He left quickly when one of the volunteers got out a camera. It was clear MacLean knew what he was doing was wrong, and he tried to leave without being photographed. Blog readers can expect a follow-up article with the photo.

Several residents who signed the recall petition during the past week mentioned news reports about MacLean’s abusive supporters, including a police report of terrorist threats on April 28. One person who signed the petition said, “For MacLean to direct his followers to attack recall workers is another reason to throw him out.”