Jan 24, 2021
Where the city charter falls silent, state law must be followed â thatâs the argument posed by an attorney challenging a recall petition on behalf of Ward 3 City Councilor Alison Petrone.
After the city clerk certified a recall petition for Petrone in September, she filed a legal challenge in court alleging insufficient signature gathering practices and the failure of recall proponents to follow state law for petition procedures.
State law vs. charter
Assistant City Attorney Rick Knighton argued in his response on Tuesday that state law protects a cityâs right to regulate local issues through the charter, The Transcript reported. Petroneâs attorney, Barrett Powers of the Norman Wohlgemuth law firm, claimed state law must be followed where the charter is unspecific.
Jan 12, 2021
Unite Norman will be heard in an ongoing recall petition lawsuit after a judge granted the groupâs motion to intervene Tuesday morning in district court.
The group, which formed to recall odd-numbered ward councilors last summer, has asked the court to hear its side of the story after Ward 3 Alison Petrone filed a lawsuit against the city clerk and alleged Unite Norman engaged in fraudulent signature gathering practices.
In the lawsuit, she stated Unite Norman did not follow applicable state laws for recall petitions, The Transcript has previously reported.
Petroneâs recall was the only one certified by the clerk. But after Petrone filed a lawsuit, her attorney, Barrett Powers of the Norman Wohlgemuth law firm, submitted duplicate signatures to the city, which agreed there were 12 duplicates. The finding rendered the minimum signature count insufficient.