HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 29 1989 McCollum Recall Efford Pretty Stupid6A, Friday, September 29, 1989, Vero Beach, Fla., Press -Journal
The supervisor of elections is
now verifying the signatures on
the petition. A minimum of 510
signatures are needed for the recall
effort to proceed to the next phase.
The men behind the recall effort
are not interested in the future of
the city, but are a group trying to
dissolve the city, McCollum said.
He said McCarthy is being "sin-
gled out in a blatant political ma-
neuver."
McCollum said he voted exactly
as McCarthy did and the majority
of the council on the issues cited in
the recall petition.
"I felt then and I feel now that
the responsible course of action
was to take the advice of the FAA
and legal counsel who suggested
we do this.
"(McCarthy) voted his con-
science as I did for the future of
this city," McCollum said.
The vice mayor is being singled
out for attack now, McCollum said,
because he is up for re-election in
March.
"(McCarthy) is doing a good job
and merits our appreciation and
support, not this low attempt at oo-
litical assassination," he said.
Snell said he and others have
talked about trying to recall
McCollum and Rondeau.
"We thought we would wait and
see what the people do on this one,"
Snell said.
McCollum:
Recall Effort
Pretty Stupid
By PATRICIA DiLALLA
Sebastian Bureau Chief
A Sebastian city councilman,
angered at a recall petition against
the vice mayor, has lashed out at
the petition's backers.
Reading from a prepared text at
Wednesday's council meeting,
Councilman Robert McCollum
called the attacks on Vice Mayor
Robert McCarthy stupid and "po-
litical assassination."
In response,
Burt Snell, one
of the principals
in the recall
effort, said
C - McCarthy was
1 ` chosen because
he is "more or
less the leader
1 of the trio. It
seems whatever
,he comes up
McCollum with on the air-
port, Rondeau
and McCollum vote with him.
There don't seem to be any individ-
ual thoughts there."
And because Lloyd Rondeau and
McCollum were only elected in
March, they were not eligible for a
recall effort until September, Snell
said.
On Sept. 19, a recall petition
against McCarthy, containing
more than 630 signatures, was filed
with the city clerk. The petition ac-
cused McCarthy of malfeasance,
misfeasance and 'incompetence re-
lating to his vote on the standstill
agreement with the Federal Avi-
ation Administration and the
hiring of Eliot Cutler as special
airport attorney.