I guess you could say we are kind of in limbo right now;
City officials maintain that Citizens for a Responsible Sales Tax had to have approximately 5,000 signatures on file with the city clerk’s office at 5 p.m. Friday to force a vote. The group didn’t meet that threshold, and now officials say their effort is dead.
“They played the game and didn’t come up with the signatures. That’s the way it’s set up,” City Council Chairman Bob Litz said.
I never thought this was a ‘game’. Sure I come on this site and snark politicians for their ignorance, that is a game I play. But when it comes to election and petition laws and raising my taxes for foolish and harmful expenditures, I don’t play games. Maybe Bob thinks politics are a game, that’s unfortunate, since I have to pay his wages.
Under state law, petitions in municipal ballot measures can’t be counted if they’re older than six months. But the law doesn’t say a group only has six months to collect signatures, Secretary of State Chris Nelson said.
Funny thing, when you call our SOS and ask him a question, he answers it, but when you ask the city attorney’s office the same question, they play the game of cat and mouse. Which is no surprise, since they have been playing games since our drive started.
City Attorney Robert Amundson said he hadn’t looked at the issue.
“I haven’t been requested by my client to research it,” he said. “If I get that, you can rest assured this office would.”
The city isn’t your ‘client’ they are your ’employer’. Good old Bobby has said this several times in public meetings, like he is a paid private legal consultant. Your office is in city hall, you draw a paycheck from the taxpayers of the city, you are an EMPLOYEE of the city. The taxpayers of this city are your CLIENTS, and I don’t need a law degree to know that.