Recall Petitions Are Taken Out On Two More Taylor Council Members

By Naomi Hatch
   Recall petitions have been taken out for Taylor Vice Mayor Jordy Fuentes and Councilman Jared Hatch. The petitions were taken out Dec. 1, exactly 180 days after the men were elected to the council, the minimum time required by state law.
   The petition seeking Fuentes’ recall was taken out by Marion Hatch, and the petition for Jared Hatch, by Ken Hatch.
   On Aug. 12, the Taylor Town Council approved by a 4-2 vote a motion to ask the Navajo County Board of Supervisors to call an election on the question of the consolidation of the towns of Taylor and Snowflake. Mayor John Cole and Councilmen Robin Palmer, Fuentes and Hatch voted for the measure, while Vice Mayor Debbie Tuckfield and Councilwoman voted against it. Councilman Jay Whipple was excused from the meeting.
   Recall petitions were taken out against Cole and Palmer. They were returned the following day, but Town Attorney Sterling Solomon declared them invalid because Gary Solomon and Ken Hatch requested the packets and stated they intended to file the recall petitions as individuals, not as a political committee. They were returned by Hatch and Marion Hatch, and had been circulated by a number of people.
   A recall petition was taken out Aug. 27 by Ken Hatch for Palmer. It was returned on Sept. 11, and a recall election will take place on March 9, 2010.
   A second recall petition was taken out on Aug. 27, this one by Marion Hatch for Cole, and returned on Sept. 11. Cole tendered his resignation, effective Oct. 15, in order to take a promotion in the Phoenix area, so his name will not appear on the ballot.
   If the petitions seeking the recall of Fuentes and Jared Hatch are returned and pass the verification process,
that election would probably be held in May.
   Each of these elections would cost the town an estimated $8,000 to $9,000.   Town Clerk Kelly Jones explained that an exact figure cannot be given at this point because the number of registered voters won’t be known until after February 8, 2010, which is the last day to register to vote in the March 9 election. There are other unknown factors, such as the cost of printing ballots, the number of registered voters and the number of questioned ballots.
   The town must pay $2.25 for each registered voter, as well as all postage, advertising and the cost of poll workers. There are presently 2,187 active registered voters in Taylor.   There is a separate cost for elections conducted by mail, along with an administrative fee.
   At press time it was unclear if separate ballots would be required for the recall and for the consolidation issues for the March 9 election.