Recall Effort Fails

Ron Buchart told the Observer that the effort he publicly led to recall Kimball Mayor John Morrison, which began on Oct. 22 and ended on Dec. 12, ended up 70 signatures short of the necessary 280 to force a recall election.

Dec 12 was the statutory deadline for signatures to be turned in to the Kimball County Courthouse. Buchart requested the petition that set the recall effort in motion.

“We gave it everything we could,” Buchart said. “All of my spare time went into it.”

The petitions will be shredded as required by law, he said.

The mayor addresses the recall effort in his opinion column on Page A3 of this week’s Observer.

“Recalls are serious business and should only be used when someone does something illegal,” Morrison writes. “Disagreeing or not liking someone’s leadership style is not a reason to recall anyone. I personally appreciate everyone who wouldn’t sign the petitions. I have tried to make Kimball a better community and will continue to do so in the future.”

Buchart went door to door gathering signatures. He and other individuals also set up shop along 3rd Street on weekends and after work to obtain signatures.

“No we did not make it to 280,” Buchart said. “However, it was a good learning experience for us and I believe for the people of Kimball. I have gotten the pleasure of meeting a lot of nice and likeminded people during this.”

Buchart said he hopes that more people become involved in community matters.

In his column. Morrison writes, “Many citizens volunteer to help fill the various boards. The city couldn’t get everything done without their participation. To make Kimball better, we need positive citizens that participate, listen at meetings to keep themselves informed and give their input.”