Crawford voters will go to the polls on July 9th for a recall election on Mayor Tom Phillips, the subject of a successful recall petition drive earlier this year.
The city council set the date Tuesday night after Phillips did not resign. Under state law, July 9th was the earliest date the recall election could be held.
With the recall election date resolution on the published agenda, the meeting drew a large crowd to the council’s new meeting site in the Public Library.
Long-time Crawford city council observers said many of those in attendance seldom come to council meetings and that most appeared to be there to support the recall.
Mayor Phillips offered no comment on the issue in calling for the vote on setting the date, although Lori Palomares, the chief circulator of the recall petition, said from the audience that Phillips could resign.
The recall petition said Phillips should be removed from office because he doesn’t live in Crawford and because he has a conflict of interest with his wife doing the books for the city-owned Legend Buttes Golf Course.
Palomares needed 137 valid signatures from Crawford voters – 35% of all votes cast in the mayor’s race when Phillips won two years ago. She turned in 162 signatures and the county clerk’s office verified 152 as valid..