The recall process in Colorado, especially in our part of the state, has gotten out of hand. I refer to the recent announcement that two members of the Woodmen Hills Metro Board are being recalled and one member of the Falcon Fire board.This mechanism should be used only to remove someone from office who has committed criminal activity or is currently engaged in some other egregious behavior. For the purposes of a recall, the burden of proof is on the accused. Guilty until proven innocent. And the accusers are not under any obligation to be truthful. When a recall petition is accepted by the county, it only means that the recall committee filled out the form correctly. The county makes no distinction as to the truthfulness of the claims.†The recall committee can sugar coat their claims in more palatable terms such as, ìignores constituents concernsî or ìfails to disclose financial information.î Whose concerns would that be other than the recall committee bent on revenge for some perceived slight?The question becomes just how much effort did the accusers put into resolving their issues before starting a recall. It costs accusers very little to start a recall. It costs a district a lot to hold an election because of it. Woodmen Hills will be forced to spend about $15,000 for this recall and Falcon Fire about $10,000. Is that how you want your tax dollars spent? Satisfying someoneís idea of revenge?Too often recall is used as a political ploy. If a candidate fails to be elected, he or she can start a recall on trumped up charges in order to get a second chance at getting elected.The only way to stop these recalls is to not sign the petition unless you are sure that a recall is the only answer to resolving an issue.Lynne BlissFalcon
