Menard recall clears clerk’s review, needs 201 signatures

WASILLA — The effort to recall city councilman Steve Menard has cleared the clerk’s office.

Earlier this week the city deemed the application for a recall petition against the embattled councilman could proceed. Petitions have gone out to the sponsors.

“Right now the sponsors can come and pick up packets and they have to get 201 signatures,” said Deputy City Clerk Amanda Charles.

The recall, which began with a Sept. 2 application, stems from a now-infamous trip Menard took with other city officials to Sitka last month to attend the Alaska Municipal League’s summer meeting.

When Menard checked out of a hotel room there, staff demanded $350 to fix damages in the room, including a burned mattress, a chair that had been urinated on and vomit on the carpet. The city paid the bill so Menard could fly back home, but immediately sent him a bill.

Menard has apologized, said he’s quit drinking, and refunded the $1,400 cost of the trip to the city. He has remained on the council, though, saying that he enjoys the work he does there and wishes to continue serving the people of Wasilla.

His colleagues on the council have barred him from traveling on city business for the rest of his term, which ends in October 2013.

The recall petition cites that trip as the basis for the recall. Its sponsors say they don’t want someone who behaves that way while representing them to serve on the council.

Charles said that the petitions are due at 5 p.m., Nov. 28 and must be submitted as a group. The clerk will review the petition to see if there are 201 signatures from city residents — borough residents don’t count.

“If there is not sufficient signatures they can have an additional 10 days to get those signatures,” she said.

If the petitioners clear all those hurdles, the matter will go before the city council, which will choose a date for a special election.

“People cannot come here and sign the petition,” Charles said. “They can come and sign up to be a sponsor.”

Sponsors are given a petition on which to gather signatures. Sponsors have to be city voters.

People who just want to find a petition to sign can call the city to get contact information for the petition’s sponsors.

Another application for a recall petition, filed less than two weeks after the one against Menard, sought to oust borough assemblyman Warren Keogh mostly due to stances he’s taken on coal mining in the Valley. That application, failed to pass muster at the borough clerk’s office. The clerk said the application was improperly filled out, cited invalid reasons for recall and that the wording was vague.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.