1 week Ago By Jocelyn Rowley
For the second time in the last 12 months, a Loveland City Council member is the target of an official recall campaign. On Friday, the City Clerk’s office gave its final approval to a petition to recall Ward 3 representative Erin Black, clearing the way for organizers to begin collecting signatures.“We were able to get in there on Friday and get the packets made,” said petition sponsor Amanda Masters.
“And I feel like we had a pretty good weekend.”Masters and her four co-sponsors didn’t waste much time getting the petitions in front of potential signers. On Saturday, the group set up a signing booth on the northeast corner of East Eisenhower Boulevard and Denver Avenue, which got a “pretty good turnout,” according to Masters.
Other volunteers for the effort also started circulating the petitions in Ward 3.So far, the group has gathered about 120 signatures toward the 1,322 required by June 24 to trigger a recall election, according to Masters. That number represents 25% of the total votes cast in the 2023 Ward 3 election.
Masters and her co-sponsors launched the recall effort earlier this month, in the wake of an incident involving Black and a local resident at Dwayne Webster Park on March 29. As grounds for the recall, they cite “a pattern of poor judgment, unprofessional behavior and conduct unbecoming an elected official.”The final version of the petition also includes a rebuttal statement from Black, which calls the recall political retaliation and “a waste of taxpayer dollars.
”“If you want a conservative, partisan, dark-money-backed candidate running a negative smear campaign — then vote to recall me,” Black’s statement reads in part. “If you want a human rights advocate who will remain fiscally responsible, support needs-based development and protect the rights and livability of all residents — then vote to retain me as your Ward 3 representative.”If the petition drive is successful and deemed sufficient by the City Clerk’s office, the City Council is obligated to schedule a special recall election within 90 days, or sometime prior to the 2025 municipal election in November.
According to the City Clerk’s office, holding a separate election will cost the city between $65,000 to $100,000, information that is also included on the petition.This marks the second recall campaign in Loveland during the last calendar year. In July, three Ward 1 residents sponsored a successful petition drive to recall Troy Krenning, though the councilor resigned prior to the March 4 special election, which instead elected Jen Swanty as his successor.
With 56 days remaining to collect the needed signatures in the Black recall campaign, Masters said the group is planning a kick off event at the East Eisenhower Boulevard booth this Saturday and Sunday. After that, the booth will be open each Saturday until the signature goal is met.There are also a handful of signing locations in downtown Loveland, including Rocky Mountain Sharp Shop on East Seventh Avenue, where Masters dropped off a petition packet on Monday.
The group is also planning to go door-to-door in Ward 3, and Masters will even show up with a petition on demand, if needed.“We also have a link on the website where people can go and schedule a time where I will show up with my petition, and they can sign it,” Masters said.For more information about the recall, to find a signing location or sign-up to volunteer, visit recallerinblack.
com..
