As recall organizers feud, no petitions have been filed
UTICA, July 24, 2009 -- More than a month after the efforts to recall Utica Mayor Dave Roefaro were kicked off, petitions have yet to be turned in to the Board of Elections and the people that were once driving the campaign are at odds.
William Newell launched a Web site back in June announcing he'd be starting an effort to recall the mayor. Soon after the campaign was started Newell said he entrusted local blogger Susan Arcuri to collect the petitions. Now, Newell said he regrets that decision.
"The more research I do on Sue Arcuri, the more I regret everyday being involved with this woman," Newell said.
SEE AUDIO INTERVIEWS BELOW >>
Arcuri estimates she's collected nearly 1,000 signatures thus far, well short of the the 2,800 organizers said they would need to force a vote by the Common Council. She said Newell was not politically savvy and that he lied about the amount of signatures he collected before she got involved. Newell told the Utica Daily News he had 947 signatures from June 22 to June 24.
"Out of the gate, he lied about the 1,000 signatures, he caused a riff in the Bosnian community," Arcuri said. "He's not very politically astute and it was a real effort everyday to point out to him the things that could go wrong with gathering petitions."
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Arcuri has posted illustrations on her blog poking fun at Newell. She said the pictures are meant to be satirical and that they were meant to be funny.
"You have to be tough-skinned in order to be in this business," she said. "I expect that when somebody puts their foot forward and says 'Hey I'm going to have initiative' and then does nothing, including a week later saying 'I'm going to move back west', that's an issue."
Newell, who walks with a cane, said the posts on Arcuri's blog were insulting to disabled people. Further, he said he couldn't go out and collect signatures because of his disability. Now, he's apologizing for having chose Arcuri to collect signatures.
"We're very sorry to the City of Utica that we hooked up with this individual," Newell said.
According to the Utica's charter, the signatures on a recall petition can only be counted if they were signed in a window of 30 days before the petition is presented. Thus, the original signatures collected are now invalid.
"Every day that goes by is another day wasted and people's good will is going to waste," Newell said.
Arcuri said she may turn in the signatures in the fall, after she's scanned perspective candidates to run in a special election. She also said that while signatures on petitions cannot be counted, they still indicate the will of the people.
"It's not that they're thrown out, they're all going to be there," Arcuri said. "It's going to signify people that are disillusioned with the system."
Newell, who participated in a joint interview with Arcuri wasn't satisfied with her answer.
"Turn in those signatures immediately," he said. "It was our publicity that started this campaign drive, you have an obligation to turn in these signatures."
Newell said he's organizing another, separate petition drive to recall the mayor and Arcuri said she'll still be out collecting signatures.
WEDNESDAY AUDIO INTERVIEWS
On July 22, Newell and Arcuri spoke seperatly to UDN reporter Mark Piersma.
THURSDAY AUDIO KEELER SHOW INTERVIEW
On July 23, Arcuri and Newell were interviewed at the same time on the radio as part of the Keeler Show.
Newell and Arcuri on the Keeler in the Morning Show
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Because if that's the case, these UDN guys have put some interesting stuff out there.
I think Bill handled the interviews very well, and the questions asked were the pertinent questions we all wanted answers to. Unfortunately, Sue Arcuri is keep her "secret" and is embarrassed to admit she has not yet garnered enough support to get the job done. For what is worth, she should have left Bill Newell and Rod Wilson and others to take on the challenge, and she should have stayed home griping about Mike Arcuri.
I am not a Roefaro supporter, but I am sadly afraid that the initiative has failed due to the bickering and loss of focus on the issues of importance.
First of all, I don't think that Bill Newell had 1000 signatures the night of the kickoff, and secondly, I don't think that Sue Arcuri has anywhere near enough either, or she would be filing.
Her smoke and mirrors and stalling is all going to cause the effort to be an enormous failure. She either has the signatures or she doesn't, and keeping the numbers from the public is simply covering her own failure, while she attempts to blame any shortcomings on Mr Newell.
The personal attacks that she calls "political satire" are both disgusting and counter productive to the effort.
I think it is time to quit blowing smoke and open the Justice Denied blog to comment, and let everyone freely discuss the issue. It is discussed on every other blog in town, so why not on her own?
Even if the signatures are all collected and validated, I have to think that the charges listed in the effort have to be proven. One can't just say that the mayor did this or that and recall him from office without substantial evidence that the charges are true, and justify replacing him.
Sue your blog is yours to do with what you wish, but in order for anyone to give credence to any of it, you need to open it to discussion and comment, and justify the outlandish postings that you put out there.
I don't put alot of credence in a blog that offers a comment option, but has ZERO comments ever posted. It seems as though it is simply a place for the blog owner to vent, and rave about. those she doesn't like, and she does so with never a positive note posted. The snarling dog is a fitting avatar, considering the climate that endures on the site.
Some of the issues brought up at Justice Denied 13501 are very valid, but if one tries to post a comment, it never makes it to the blog.
One might think it more important to focus on the issues surrounding the recall, not on who has done what to obtain signatures. I think it disgusting that we have to listen to her tear down a crippled veteran in order to flount her own importance in the efforts.
Obviously she doesn't realize that she is hampering any possible success by drawing attention from the original issues.
I read the blog daily, but normally end up simply shaking my head, because my comments are never put up on the blog. I might suggest if she wants to rant, she should open her blog to comment, and foster some serious "discussion."
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