Filer Recall Effort Fails to Gain Enough Signatures

FILER, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) A petition to put a recall ballot measure for Filer's mayor and city council on November's ballot has fallen short.

The Twin Falls County Clerk's Office sent the petitions back just short of 196 signatures, which is the threshold needed to get the measure on the ballot.

That news was unwelcome to a group leading the recall effort.

"My reaction was that's not correct, we have plenty of signatures," said Tara Wiggins, a republican chair in Filer and a leader of the recall effort.

When they sent to petitions to Filer's clerk they had more than 230 signatures on each petition. If 196 were verified then the measure could go on the ballot.

The petitions were sent to the Twin Falls County Clerk's office for verification against voting records.

"I'm just doing my job," said Kristina Glascock, the Twin Falls County Clerk.

Glascock says there were a number of reasons signatures weren't counted. She said some people weren't registered at the time they signed the petition, some changed their name or address and didn't re-register, some signed twice, and some printed their name instead of signing it. Glascock also said they rejected some signatures if they weren't similar "at all" to voter I.D. cards in the last few years. Petitioners dispute some of those claims. Their biggest complaint is that some of the signatures counted on one petition and not the others.

"We had plenty of signatures, some we knew probalby wouldn't count, so we went way over the count," said Candise Ramsey, the chair for the Democratic Party's 25th district and Filer resident. "The bottom line is that people had a right to petition and I think that we had a lot of great conversations and I think that people in Filer are really concerned."

Petitioners say they will continue to fight for the recall. Wiggins said she filed a complaint with Idaho's secretary of state and is looking for lawyers to help fight the decision.

"We are going to be going along the channels that we have to so that we can see if we can get a judge to turn this around and look at it," Wiggins said.

Some Filer citizens began protesting the city council after they fired the police chief. Wiggins is married to a police officer, but says the communities concerns go beyond the police department. "This is more than the police department, this started with the police department, but afterwards it went deeper," Wiggins said.

Wiggins says their concerns are largely with the handling of budgets and payrolls. She says her relationship with the police department doesn't factor in to her involvement with the recall, but instead her position with the Republican Party in Filer does.

Mayor Rick Dunn is not re-running for his position. Ruby Allen and
Russell Sheridan, Jr are both on the council now and running for Mayor in November's election. Meaning their spots are up for grabs.