Recall Update

Proponents of the effort to recall Councilman Lance MacLean are working daily to ensure that the signature drive is a success. One of the volunteers said, “We expected that signatures would be harder to get at this late stage, but the opposite is true. People are so willing to sign that we want to continue working. We had tables at six storefronts over the weekend, and we’re finding almost no support for MacLean.”

Activity from MacLean’s few fans has been subdued for more than a week, and MacLean’s most recent appearance at a recall table was on July 29. Recall volunteers have reported seeing several cars repeatedly driving by the recall tables at storefronts, as if checking out who is working.

The only aggressive act from a MacLean supporter during the past week occurred in front of a drugstore. A man driving a black Lexus SUV had followed a petitioner as she left a grocery store. After she set up a table in front of the drugstore, the man got out of his vehicle and began questioning her. He videotaped her getting signatures, and those who were signing the petition noticed his strange behavior. When they asked the petitioner what the man was doing, she joked, “He’s making a documentary film.”

As a problem for the MacLean supporter, the petitioner was circulating a statewide petition having to do with electrical service providers. No one at that storefront was getting recall signatures.

A recall proponent commented about the signature drive, “We’ve had two political consultants observe our efforts at storefronts, and both said they were amazed that so many people are still signing. Based on the reaction of community members at the recall tables, both of the consultants also predicted that MacLean is going to be removed from office when residents get a chance to vote. MacLean has said from the beginning that he knows he’ll be recalled, and he’s right about that. My question is why he doesn’t resign instead of putting everyone through the drill.”