The City Clerk of Palmer has approved a petition request to recall Mayor Steve Carrington, who has suffered withering criticism for using a Ketchikan attorney to craft a separation agreement with the most recent city manager, who was driven out after he fired the police chief.
The petition by Palmer resident Cindy Hudgins, long a watchdog of city government, states Carrington broke the law because his hiring outside counsel to help with the removal of the former city manager required the approval of the city council. Carrington used outside counsel because the city attorney had been involved in outlining complaints against the city manager, who lasted two months before upsetting much of the community and staff of the city.
“This abuse of executive power by Mayor Steve Carrington constitutes unlawful behavior by a public officer in relation to the duties of his office, willful in character,” Hudgins wrote.
Alaska law outlines the grounds for recall: “misconduct in office, incompetence, or failure to perform prescribed duties.”
The application approval means a petition may be approved by Dec. 17, and will require at least 71 signatures, or 25% of those who voted in the last regular election, no later than Feb. 16 before a recall election would be held.
Yup.
We ran three members of the Palmer city council, through a recall, when they tried to impose a mask mandate in Palmer.
This mayor is an embarrassment – from the hiring of the city mgr, the firing of our great police chief, and the termination agreement.
He’s fired!
I am happy to see the citizens of Palmer keep a watchful eye on their elected and take action when needed unlike Los Anchorage where the ASSembly runs roughshod over the public and spends public money as they please and then takes more.
Are you sure about your arithmetic, Suzanne? With 71 signatures to put the issue before the city electorate–25% of those who voted in the last regular election–would mean that Palmer had a “massive” turnout of 284 civic minded souls at their last regular election! That’s a “wow” by even rural standards!