Recall has no merit, Wick says

Forty-one registered voters from Ramona signed a petition to recall Mayor Pat Wick, but when County Attorney Susan Robson reviewed it, the petition was returned to the submitter, James Thompson, because filing procedures were not followed.

According to Thompson, he, A.J. Svoboda, Ramona Councilman Billy Alcorn, and Jamie Brunner initiated the petition for a recall.

Wick was re-elected in April 2009, to a two-year term, and completed her seventh year as mayor.

“These allegations aren’t about city business or city officials,” Wick said Tuesday. “This is an effort to humiliate me, to frighten me. They’re aimed at me — personally. The allegations aren’t based on any kind of fact or truth.”

The four items of contention include an alleged violation of City Ordinance 182 for a property Wick and her sister, Jessica Gilbert, own in Ramona. The petition claims no sewer fees are being paid on the property.

“The ordinance clearly states that to be exempt, a property must have its sewer line capped and inspected,” the petition stated.

“The house isn’t hooked up now to sewer and it wasn’t hooked up when the ordinance was adopted,” Wick said.

The sisters purchased the house and had planned to renovate it. Until those renovations are completed, sewer will not be hooked up to the property, Wick said.

The second allegation claims Ramona City Council visited about an issue that arose during an October 2009 city council meeting after the meeting had adjourned, violating the open meetings law.

“If an illegal meeting was held, the complaint should be against the council, not just me,” Wick said. “I’m not even a voting member on the council.”

Wanting to follow proper protocol when Councilman Alcorn accused the group of having the illegal meeting, city clerk Gilbert contacted League of Kansas Municipalities and was told to add the after-meeting discussion into the minutes of the next meeting.

In the third allegation, residents claimed they felt that Wick no longer represents the citizens of Ramona.

“They’re just trying to find anything they can to use against me,” Wick said.

The final allegation accuses Wick of being insensitive when someone had a medical emergency at a council meeting.

“This is pure meanness,” Wick said.

Thompson said the group was not going to redo the petition.

“There are quite a few hoops to jump through,” Thompson said, regarding the filing of a viable petition.

So the group has decided to wait until the next election to vote for change, he said. The election of all Ramona city council members and Wick, will be April 5, 2011, when all city elections are held in the county.

“What this has caused is a big division in the town and mistrust,” Wick said. “This isn’t good for any town, let alone a town of 100 people.”