A recall petition in Spirit Lake involving the current mayor Jeremy Cowperthwaite has garnered 92 signatures in only seven days. Supporters say the number one reason for recalling Cowperthwaite is due to issues surrounding the city’s depleted police department.
The petition must obtain at least 291 valid signatures to be certified by the county clerk’s office. In this case, a valid signature is one from a registered voter who lives in the jurisdiction of Spirit Lake City. Per Idaho code 34-1704(2), recall petitions have 75 days to collect signatures, however local resident and recall organizer Lynn Cole wants to complete the task by August 31st. The end of the month deadline would allow for a special recall election of Cowperthwaite to be placed on the upcoming November ballot.
Cole is hopeful the special recall election will not be necessary, “The mayor can do the right thing and resign. This is about city business, it isn’t personal”.
According to Idaho Code 34-1707(2a), the official being recalled has five business days to resign from office upon notification from the county clerk that a recall petition is in proper form. The phrase “in proper form” is a way of saying the required number of signatures were collected within the legal time frame and those signatured have been verified by the county clerk’s office.
During the most recent city council meeting on August 8th, residents addressed their concerns and questions regarding the mayor’s behavior and the assertions put forth on the recall petition.
One resident, Ben Wallace, asked the mayor if the part about him following police officers around and being the reason the last police chief resigned were accurate. Cowperthaite told Wallace he would be happy to speak with him outside the council meeting. However, when pressed the mayor stated, “I wouldn’t believe everything you read … It’s all lies. It’s all concocted.”
Terry Moore, president of the city’s planning and zoning commission, wanted to know if the issues that lead to the troubles at the police department have been fixed. Moore directly asked the two city council members who were present whether or not they supported the recall efforts. Kenny Gross confirmed he did support recalling the mayor. Darrell Woods declined to answer, although he addressed the heart of the issue surrounding the recall when he declared, “From what I can tell, the information they seem to have is decent, or good, information”. When asked if that meant the information was accurate, Woods replied, “From what I can tell, yes”.
A former director of Parks and Recreation, Tonya Reed, believes the mayor has contributed to a toxic environment at city hall after she witnessed both Cowperthwaite and the city clerk, Michelle Wharton, shouting at city council members during business hours. “The hostile environment, when they should be leading by example, is embarrassing and shameful.” Reed stated during her time at the podium, “I, for one, am just going to say how ashamed I am of what is happening in our city.”
The recall organizers have place a copy of the petition at Nelson’s Old West Hardware on Maine Street for those who wish to review the documents or add their signature.
