Amador County – The Ione City Council on Tuesday set a special election date of Feb. 28 for the referendum relative to the recall of Mayor David Plank, and the potential election of a successor to the City Council.

Following state law, the City Council adopted a resolution to set the special election. Ione City Clerk Janice Traverso prepared a report on the resolution, and recommended approval. The report noted that the Council at its last meeting, Oct. 18, accepted the certified recall petition, from the Amador County Deputy Registrar of Voters, and the Council was required within 14 days to “issue an order stating that an election will be held to determine whether or not the officer named in the petition shall be recalled.”

Traverso in the report said the “attached resolution orders that election, but it is up to the City Council to set the date.” She said the date “must be set between Jan. 27, 2012 and March 4, 2012. Since the election must be held on a Tuesday, the date would have to be” Jan 31, or any of the four Tuesdays in February.

The election, by law, must be held not less than 88 days nor more than 125 days after the issuance of the order of the election. If another special or regular election was to be held during that time, the two would be required to be held on the same day and consolidated.

Traverso said the council set the special election date for Feb. 28, but there was no comment on the issue. Mayor Plank did ask what the cost would be for the election. Traverso said the Amador County Elections Department estimated the cost for the Ione recall election would be approximately $6,000 to $8,000.

The filing period for replacement candidates to declare their candidacy in the Ione recall election is Nov. 7 to Dec. 2.

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