Amador County – The proponent of a recall petition against of Mayor David Plank said Tuesday that he is confident he will submit signatures to place the recall measure on a ballot, in the next two weeks.

Ione resident Jim Nevin said he would not disclose the number of signatures he and his group have collected so far, but he said he is “confident” they will turn in the signatures to City Hall in two weeks.

He said he would not disclose the number of signatures they have collected thus far, because he did “not want to scare anyone,” and at the same time he did not want anyone to get comfortable. Nevin said he thought the group Voice in Ione, would submit the petition in the next two weeks.

He said the cost of an election was not known, but he heard that the Ione Memorial Community Services District election Nov. 8 would print 4,000 ballots and cost about $8,000. He also heard that a River Pines recall election held recently cost about $1,000. River Pines had an all-mail ballot election.

Ione has about 2,100 registered voters and the petition requires 25 percent of their signatures, or 520 signatures, to be placed on the ballot. In filing a response to Nevin’s filing of a notice of intent to recall him, Mayor Plank said recall elections waste $10,000 to $14,000 in taxpayers’ money.

Nevin’s filing in part said Plank as Mayor “denied an Ione citizen his Constitutional Right to freely express his opinion before the City Council.” Plank in his filing said “citizens are not denied the right to speak during Public Comment,” and it was “confirmed by tape recordings.” He said the city Public Comment rule is published or announced at meetings.

Signs on Main Street in Ione on Tuesday opposed the recall as too expensive and “too extreme.”

Nevin is a contributor to a website critical of the City. The site, IonePD.com, shows a poll rating the performance of Ione City Council. Of 188 respondents, 67 percent, chose the ranking of “recall.” The following week, the poll asked: “So if a recall vote was held today, who would you vote to recall?” With 110 respondents, 65 percent chose Plank. It was unclear whether respondents could vote for more than one candidate.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.