But do you recall?
WW has an interesting story this week on what it would take to recall Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto. You'd need 50,000 signatures of people who claim to be county voters in order to get the 38,971 good ones that you'd need. You'd have 90 days to round them up. That's 556 signatures a day. Could it be done? Probably. Will anybody do it? Probably not. It's a shame. The guy's such an embarrassment.
Let's see, if there were 50 dedicated people leading the charge, they'd need 1,000 sigs apiece. That's too many to ask. Could you expect 100 ringleaders to scrape up 500 apiece? Still a lot. I think to do this without a lot of money, you'd need 250 people to go get 200 apiece. But what a way to blow three months of your life.
Are there any big groups that you could line up? How many sigs could the Bus Kids deliver? The good government types like the City Club and the Conservation Voters? Would any of the public employees' unions play? Maybe the Slavic community out in east cou... er, never mind.
| Posted at 10:22 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (18)
I qualify (Mult Co. voter), and am willing to sign that petition!
Posted by susie | October 25, 2007 12:03 PM
Could it be done on line with a form to be completed, signed and sent to a central repository??
Posted by genop | October 25, 2007 12:32 PM
Sorry, according to the county, no online petitions or electronic signatures allowed.
-signed, the Willamette Week writer
Posted by James Pitkin | October 25, 2007 12:38 PM
Now there's a thought. A system where registered voters could log-in to a secure system online and electronically "sign" a recall petition. Voters would be required to go through the traditional means for the recall election itself if there were enough electonic signatures to justify it.
Chances that the politicians would ever pass such a law of their own volition? Answer: "0%" because they know it would pose a substantial threat to their public meal ticket.
Posted by Usual Kevin | October 25, 2007 12:44 PM
I love doing things on-line but as the recent ticket fiascos have shown its just too easy to rig the results by creative programming.
Posted by Oscar | October 25, 2007 1:17 PM
My thought was a petition form on line to download, fill in identifying info., sign and mail to the petition gatherer. It would simply eliminate the multitude of petition signature gatherers. A drivers license number, address and current phone # should be sufficient verification. I suppose there is a rule requiring in-person verification??
Posted by genop | October 25, 2007 1:50 PM
All-
Anyone with serious intentions of recalling Bernie Giusto should contact me. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to help remove the 2nd most corrupt man in Oregon politics from office.
And, as it just so happens, we have a workforce of hourly employees in place to collect every signature necessary to do so, and a proven track record of qualifying initiatives and referenda.
I welcome any serious inquiries...
Posted by Tim Trickey | October 25, 2007 1:58 PM
With 8illy 8radbury making up rules as he goes on initiative processes, I would not trust any vote count that has any degree of importance. Having said that why can't we as a people use our voter registration cards electronically to sign petitions. Because then 8illy boy could not control the outcome right? Make them secure like credit cards. We could do it if we really wanted to. It would be as secure as our debit/credit cards. Good enough for me how about you? Oregon elites would not allow it so don't even try. I dare you to try.
Posted by Steven | October 25, 2007 2:06 PM
If Tim Trickey really is serious about recalling him, maybe we shouldn't because what's good for Trickey is not usually good for Oregon.
Posted by John | October 25, 2007 2:15 PM
Verification of signatures is done by county clerks, not by the Secretary of State. Since it is impossible to check the accuracy of every signature in the time frame mandated by statute (and by the calendar), a statistical sampling technique is used. The formula is established by rule, and does not vary from one initiative to another. The Secretary does not "make up rules" on this point; after he receives the results from the county clerks, he simply applies the formula that is required by the rule. (The leading Oregon Supreme Court case in which the method was challenged involved the Secretary's decision that a pro-marijuana initiative did not qualify for the ballot. )
Posted by Charlie Hinkle | October 25, 2007 2:22 PM
I agree that the man is an embarrassment but I suspect you couldn't find 50,000 people who have heard of him.
Posted by Sherwood | October 25, 2007 2:26 PM
Charlie's correct - it's the county clerks who "verify" the signatures. Problem is, if they don't like a measure, they can (and do) invalidate actual signatures.
Posted by Max | October 25, 2007 3:33 PM
If Tim Trickey really is serious about recalling him, maybe we shouldn't because what's good for Trickey is not usually good for Oregon.
Yeah, screw the fact that Giusto will still be in office - let's teach Trickey a lesson. That's far more important.
Posted by rr | October 25, 2007 3:36 PM
What is the deal that we have to have have dedicated volunteers gather signatures, or pay off Trickey's company to gather signatures, in order to get rid of someone like Giusto? Something is seriously wrong around here.
Posted by jimbo | October 25, 2007 4:26 PM
How about an online registry of voters demanding him to resign.
Exactly how many voters would have to sign up before Bernie starts to pack?
Posted by Barbara | October 25, 2007 9:52 PM
"What is the deal that we have to have have dedicated volunteers gather signatures, or pay off Trickey's company to gather signatures, in order to get rid of someone like Giusto? Something is seriously wrong around here."
We can start with the fact that Giusto ran twice for Sheriff without the Oregonian once investigating or writing about these allegations that have been around since 1990.
Now, after he has been safely reelected, the Oregonian is "shocked, shocked to learn that gambling is going on in this establishment."
Posted by Jack Roberts | October 26, 2007 11:13 AM
AHH!!! A recall..knowing a little about this(wish Jack would call me sometime about the real story about my effort to recall Vera Katz).
The recall effort for this guy is needed, but I submit there are bigger fish then the good sheriff.
Does anyone really think Bernie is the only one who knew something?
If a "PASS" was offered to him to come clean, and "clean out the pipe",on this issue, then I think we could put a few people out to pasture and regain the whole state ,and not just the county.
Again...I'm right of "Atilla the Hun" as compared to most who post here..even you "Progressive" types I sense have had enough.
It maybe all we have as a last option, cause the electeds seem to do as they want, unless we kick some butt.
Posted by Jack Peek | October 26, 2007 8:05 PM
Reading the "O" this am, you see a letter from a north Portland resident clearly stating that maybe the council should listen, after all electeds spend a bunch of lib service on citizen input, then "put it to us", after we tell them no.
Not only no, but hell no!
Is there ever going to be an issue that will be the one that makes PDXERS, say enough of this BS, and put it back on this group of "grampys" boys to remember who they work for?
This street naming deal maybe the one, at least someone didn't get killed to bring them to their senses to act as they were elected to do.
Posted by Jack Peek | October 27, 2007 8:07 AM