Based on staff reports
It was 30 days ago when the Committee to Recall Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson, also known as Citizens of Apopka for Honest Government, took on the task of collecting 1,762 signed petitions from registered Apopka voters to move on to the next stage of the recall process. But today, the 30-day deadline ended, and his goal fell short. New and his team of volunteers collected 1,692, 70 short of the mark.
New released a statement to The Apopka Voice.
“Remember the final update,
“First of all, I want to thank the people on the committee, Abbey Mckimmie, Ace Woodham, Jodi Bengston and Kelley Butcher, as well as all the other people who have done so much work, Mr. and Mrs. .William Mcleod, Jim Meadows, Sylvester Hall, Leroy Bell and so many people who are still concerned about retaliation as history shows.
While the fight was uphill from the beginning, our group and the people who helped did so respectfully and following the law as written. Be proud that we didn’t violate the intent of the takedown statute, we didn’t use media connections to print a rebuttal before the law said it was allowed or longer than the law allowed.
Although we did not reach the stated number of required requests, we did achieve a remarkable number. In the end, 1692 petitions were signed. The sad part is the people who stopped by to tell us they supported the effort but couldn’t sign for fear of retaliation. It’s sad that these days citizens have to fear their own local government and reprisals. But please understand that this fight is for our city as we now face two more lawsuits from developers after the last council meeting.
As legal fees rise and some use unlimited power to ruin this city, we must continue to challenge the mayor’s dictatorial approach. Our city charter needs to be corrected and clarified to avoid the kind of questionable actions that were involved in the attorney’s firing. This clarification has yet to be obtained so that everyone knows the legal intent of the letter.
Also, it is past time for this city to change the leadership powers from the so-called strong mayor to one where the mayor is just the council president. The municipal administrator manages the city under the direction of the entire council. It’s time to remove this layer of confusion and control.
Again, remember that the repeal statute was written by elected officials who don’t want to lose their plush elected jobs. Like so many other elements, it is played by elected officials for their own benefit, not for the good of the people. This nation was founded on us, the people, not on a strong self-proclaimed mayor who gets away with it.
Finally, I thank you all for your support. We have approached, we have made and we will continue to make a difference. Be strong, speak up, email the council, call the council, come to a meeting and speak up.
If we don’t, we are not “we the people”, but the subjugated. I am sorry to have failed this city in our efforts to save it from tyranny.
Dennis New, president of Apopka Citizens for Honest Government
