Attorneys for the city of Walthourville have filed a response to a mandamus petition asking for the recall of Mayor Daisy Pray and Councilwoman Patricia Green.
The petition was filed May 23 by Paulette Jamison and Anita Scurry, claiming the city has been giving them the run around and had failed to provide them the application for recall as requested.
The plaintiffs are looking to recall the two elected officials due to alleged unethical conduct, misconduct in office and misappropriated public property and funds.
City Attorney Jeff Arnold filed a response to the petition June 11, saying the plaintiffs’ complaint is in bad faith, stubbornly litigious and causes unnecessary trouble and expense.
The response states the petition was never requested by the plaintiffs.
As previously reported Assistant City Attorney Drew Johnson said the plaintiffs didn’t follow the proper procedures in requesting an application for recall.
However Jamison said she personally went to city hall asking for assistance in requesting ing the recall applications.
“Every time I went Mrs. Mellissa Jones, the election superintendent, was unavailable or out of the office,” she said. “Mrs. Scurry also submitted a formal written letter requesting information on an application for recall.”
Johnson said Jones sent an email advising the plaintiffs on the proper procedure.
Jamison said the email simply said they should review the applicable law and provided no other guidance.
“I am unfamiliar with the process of recalling a public official, so I asked for the assistance of our elected officials and Mrs. Mellissa Jones in her capacity as election superintendent for the city of Walthourville for guidance and I was given the runaround,” Jamison said.
Johnson said when someone files a recall application they are supposed to give notice to the election official
But Jamison said the laws states that the city clerk is the person responsible for making that notification.
Georgia code states:
“(2) Applications shall be issued by the election superintendent who shall assign a number to each application. Such number shall appear on the face of each application. The election superintendent shall keep records of applications issued, including the date of issuance and number assigned. The election superintendent shall immediately notify in writing the public officer named for recall in the application that an application for a recall petition has been officially issued for circulation.”
“I feel this is yet another attempt by the city attorneys to demean and dismiss our attempt to properly address the unethical conduct, misconduct in office, malfeasance and misappropriated public property and funds by our city elected officials,” Jamison said.
A hearing on the petion is set for 9 a.m. Monday at the justice center.
“It is open to the public,” Jamison said. “Please show your support in bringing back the ethics and honesty to the city of Walthourville by coming to the court proceedings.”