The recall election in the town of Frederick had to be one of the dumbest recall elections in recent history – and it rightfully went bust on Tuesday. The special election was to recall Frederick Mayor Tony Carey, Trustee Sam DeSantis, Trustee Rocky Figurilli, Trustee Donna Hudziak, and Trustee Fred Skates. The man driving the recall, Planning Commissioner Rusty O’Neal, was the top finisher to replace Carey had the recall been successful.
O’Neal told the Longmont Times Call that he was disappointed in the outcome, but didn’t feel the effort was a waste. Here’s what he said about the outcome:
“There were a lot of good takeaways from it. We see more involvement in our community than I’ve seen in the 10 years I’ve lived here.”
And O’Neal is right. The number of ballots cast on Tuesday was more than the tiny town had ever seen. The complaints against the five largely centered around decisions they made around growth – to approve a development project, for example. These are not constitutional issues, and hardly worth getting so upset over. If O’Neal didn’t like the stance of the five on development, just run against them. Why turn them into a victim by being so heavy-handed?
Either way, this will certainly make future planning sessions between the planning commission and trustees awkward.