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March 12, 2010

Formal petition to recall Stillwater City Councilor Darrell Dougherty being circulated

City Councilor recall petition advances to formal circulation stage

By Philip Jankowski Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — Stillwater City Clerk Clara Welch said Friday morning a formal city councilor recall petition prepared by the clerk’s and city attorney’s office is now being circulated.

“It is out and being distributed from my understanding,” Welch said.

The clerk’s office provided several copies of the petition to its author, Jeremy "Jim" Trent, Welch said.

Trent has said he is no longer associated with the petition to oust Darrell Dougherty and has passed the petition on to supporters. Trent is Mayor Nathan Bates’ campaign manager for a May 11 election, which could oust the mayor one year into office.

Dougherty was a leader in the petition effort to recall Bates. Trent said he launched the petition to recall Dougherty because Dougherty was trying to recall Bates. Bates has said he is not involved in the Dougherty recall petition. However, he has posted on Web sites a reference to 649 supporters. That is the number of signatures needed to secure a recall election.

Supporters of the councilor’s recall will have until 5 p.m. April 12 to collect at least 649 signatures to initiate a recall election.

Dougherty has filed a legal challenge to the petition naming Trent as the defendant. It states the petition does not meet city charter requirements, petition circulators Kay Adams and Trent both signed as witnesses to their own signatures and allegations made in the petition are false.

Adams and Trent are both listed as witnesses on the petition pages they signed.

However, the charter does not require any evidence be presented in order to move a petition process forward.

The petition accused Dougherty of public intoxication and gross partiality of office, citing his leadership role in the Bates recall and his suggestion the mayor resign during a City Council meeting.

According to legal filings, the potential law suit may seek more than $10,000 in damages from Trent. Dougherty did not immediately return a phone call Friday and his attorney Willie Baker has refused to comment.

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