A recall petition filed against Harney County commissioner Steve Grasty has been validated, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office.
That means Grasty has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to resign or submit a "statement of justification" that would be printed on the recall election ballot, according to a letter notifying him of the petition's result. But Grasty said Thursday he is not resigning.
Grasty is the County Court judge — not a judge in the traditional sense, but essentially chairman of the county commission. He has served three terms, entering office in January 1999, and his current term lasts until the end of the year.
A recall election would be held no later than June 28, according to the letter. The effort to oust Grasty comes in the aftermath of the 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by armed militants earlier this year.
He and the petitioner were notified of the results Thursday morning, said Molly Woon, a secretary of state spokeswoman. Petitioners gathered the valid signatures of 458 active registered Harney County voters, Woon said in an email.
They needed 444 to validate the petition.
No comments:
Post a Comment