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Recall City Councilman · Richard Randall Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Through the north, so they impede our operations. That's a crime.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: These are historic tie.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: And we will hold them accountable to those consequences. On
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: KVR and KVR dot com and we're gonna go city
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Council current composition of city Council. We'll be talking about
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: the last city council election and the possibility that one
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: council member, Tom Bailey may or may not remain on council.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: So that's the point we're at right now. Tim Lewin
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: joins us. You're on the folks, Tim, that put this
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: recall effort together. Now, there's some questions about signatures and
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: the path forward. We'll get to that in just a second.
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  Speaker 2: But Tim, explain to me why the folks up there,
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  Speaker 2: like you and some of the others in the Pine
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  Speaker 2: Creek area are concerned, upset and don't believe that Tom
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Bailey is representing you adequately if at all.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, Rochard, thanks for having me and I appreciate your
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: time today and let me come on the show. This
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: all started about two years ago. You know, I've been
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: living in Pine Creek for about five years, and me
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: and you know, hundreds, if not a thousand neighbors got
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: together over an issue about the Royal Times apartment complex.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Uh.
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  Speaker 1: The city wanted to subsidize some affordable housing in our
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  Speaker 1: in our community, in our neighborhood in the corner of
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  Speaker 1: our neighborhood that was zoned for commercial business, small businesses
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  Speaker 1: such as the ones that are there now there's a
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  Speaker 1: vet clinic, obt y, n et cetera.
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  Speaker 2: UH.
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  Speaker 1: And we said, you know, this is going to cause
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  Speaker 1: a lot of problems, just like every government solution is
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: going to cause a bunch of problems down the stream.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: We tried to communicate that to our representative at the time,
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  Speaker 1: mister Randy Helms, and again that fell on deaf years.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Fast forward to mister Bailey being elected. He ran unopposed,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: so he was our only choice, and we continued to
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: communicate the issues. A group of people fought it legally
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: in the in the courts and eventually lost those cases.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Is H. So we decided to go political. We voiced
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: our concerns about the problems that it would create in
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  Speaker 1: our community, and it fell again upon deaf ears. You know,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: I spoke twice at the City Council to mister Bailey.
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  Speaker 1: We've sent thousands upon thousands of correspondents, emails, phone calls,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: those went unanswered adequately to our standards as constituents. And
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: so what this is all about. It started with the
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  Speaker 1: affordable housing, but what it's really about is about holding
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: our elected officials accountable for their actions. It's holding them
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: accountable to adequate representation. After we started the recall effort,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: UH members and neighbors from all across the district came
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: to me and brought up other issues the Ford amphitheater
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  Speaker 1: to the north, the CPA, UH requirements for our city auditor,
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  Speaker 1: among other issues. So this is just a pattern of
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: disregard from our elected representative. And we feel that it
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: is not just the prerogative of citizens to make sure
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: that their voices are heard, but when they when they
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: feel that they are not adequately represented in their government
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  Speaker 1: in any echelon, it is their duty to demand new representation.
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  Speaker 1: And so that's the purpose of the recall. That's why
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  Speaker 1: we're doing it. We have nothing, you know, nothing personal
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: against mister Bailey. We just want new representation and be
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: adequately heard. That's why we're doing it.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Talking with Tim Lew and Tim this is in my mind,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of times a last resort I'd like to
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  Speaker 2: believe that before something like this happens, there's dialogue over
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  Speaker 2: the issues that are central to it. It's a back
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: and forth and sometimes maybe it gets better, sometimes it doesn't.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Sometimes it's not even a willingness to communicate. Let's go
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: back and talk a little bit about you folks reaching
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: out to Tom Bailey and whether there really ever was
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: an opportunity to have a back and forth dialogue about this.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, there were. There were many opportunities, and again it
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  Speaker 1: all started with mister Helms, but continued through mister Bailey.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: When this new city council was elected, they went through
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  Speaker 1: a listening tour. I think your viewers would probably recall
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  Speaker 1: the listening tours that the city went through, and again,
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  Speaker 1: you know, they went to certain schools, mister Bailey showed
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  Speaker 1: up again, just you know, these people, the vast majority
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  Speaker 1: of people, you know, issuing their concerns, trying to be heard,
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  Speaker 1: trying to issue their perspectives, again falling on deaf ears.
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  Speaker 1: When I spoke at the City Council both times, there
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  Speaker 1: were at least two dozen people from our community speaking
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  Speaker 1: against the project, bringing up the very legitimate concerns that
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  Speaker 1: it would cause not anybody spoke in favor of it.
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  Speaker 1: But again, he voted in our faces for the project
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  Speaker 1: to release those bonds. You know, he could have he
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: could have sided with his constituents and voted against it,
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  Speaker 1: and it still would have happened. It would have just
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: been seven to two, verses eight to one. But again
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  Speaker 1: it's a about the unanswered emails, calls, text you know,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: we get if you send an email saying, hey, I'm
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  Speaker 1: very concerned about this, uh, you know you shouldn't do
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: it for these reasons, you get either no response at
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  Speaker 1: all or you get the canned copy and paste that
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: says you're going to do it anyway. So at the
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  Speaker 1: so what we feel is at the low. If you
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  Speaker 1: can't be heard at the local level in government, then
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  Speaker 1: that's a sad commentary on our state of affairs in
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  Speaker 1: this country because really the local level is the first
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  Speaker 1: line of representation where your is your voice should be heard.
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  Speaker 1: And so after we kind of made that conclusion, we
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  Speaker 1: said recall is the only remedy in this situation. And again,
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  Speaker 1: all this effort does here is just puts the question
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  Speaker 1: of recall on the ballot for the people of District
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  Speaker 1: two to decide. So we want to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: they have that opportunity. And if we're wrong, the people
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: of District two will will will decide and keep mister
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  Speaker 1: Bailey as their representative. But we that's not our read.
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  Speaker 1: I and kanvassing for months, along with a very motivated,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: very capable, wonderful people across district too, volunteering their time
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  Speaker 1: to go get these signatures. One note I want to
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: just say about our recall effort is this is one
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  Speaker 1: hundred percent grassroots. You know, I'm from the district. The
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: petitioners committee, myself and the two others who filed the
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: petition are from the community volunteers. The vast majority of
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  Speaker 1: them are from the community. We did not pay a
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: single dollar for a signature, so we did this all ourselves,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: going door to door, talking to people throughout the district.
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  Speaker 1: And we don't think we're incorrect in our read or
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  Speaker 1: our assessment of being inadequately represented.
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to ask you something, Tim, and you do
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  Speaker 2: not have to answer if you don't think it's appropriate
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: or actually for any other reason. But I know there
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: are a couple of questions that are to be on
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  Speaker 2: people's minds because I've seen recalls before seldom do they work.
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  Speaker 2: And one of the complaints is always we'll ask him,
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: you know what it's going to be, what two hundred
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  Speaker 2: and twenty thousand dollars for this? And if it doesn't work,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: then Tim and the rest of these folks just wasted
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: our money. What do you say to that, Well.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: I say, the price of the recall is unfortunate. You know,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: it's going to cost a couple hundred thousand dollars to
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  Speaker 1: get this question to the ballot, But that's the price.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: What I would say is is what's the cost of
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: not acting? You know, what is the cost of citizens
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  Speaker 1: not their voice, is not being heard about these issues,
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  Speaker 1: not coming up, in participating in the democratic process with
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  Speaker 1: their with their First Amendment right, which is the right
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: to petition. That cost greatly out outweighs the price in
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  Speaker 1: our opinion of what it's going to cost. And again
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  Speaker 1: it's unfortunate. I wish, I wish I could just wave
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  Speaker 1: a magic wand and it would be free. And I
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  Speaker 1: know that this is going to constrain the city budgets
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  Speaker 1: a little bit more, but again, the cost weighs the
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: price in this particular case, and we feel like it
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  Speaker 1: is our duty to put that question up to the
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  Speaker 1: people of districtuted.
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  Speaker 2: Design without me even taking a position on the merits.
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  Speaker 2: I want to remind people that what Tim just said
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  Speaker 2: is absolutely the case, and we would not even have
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  Speaker 2: provisions for recalls if that weren't the case. Now I
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  Speaker 2: said earlier as well that seldom do they work. I
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  Speaker 2: want to make a caveat to that because I'm thinking
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  Speaker 2: back a couple of recalls where it technically didn't end
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  Speaker 2: up in a vote for that elected official, but the
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  Speaker 2: elected official was able to put his finger up in
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  Speaker 2: the air see which way the winds were blowing. He
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  Speaker 2: had gotten a lot of help, if my memory is right,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: from some people back east, and person just stepped down beforehand.
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  Speaker 2: So talk to me, Tim Lewin and the rest of
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  Speaker 2: my supporters, listeners and followers on social media. What's the
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: path forward look like? And more importantly, are there things
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  Speaker 2: that people, whether they're in the district or out of
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  Speaker 2: the district, can do to help you, either financially or
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  Speaker 2: sometimes it's sweat equity, getting out there and knocking on
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  Speaker 2: doors the way you do.
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  Speaker 1: Well, just about being involved. You know, it's we take this,
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  Speaker 1: we take our citizens responsibility, and that's the way we
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  Speaker 1: see it, we as citizens are responsible not just for
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  Speaker 1: casting a vote once every four years for our city
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  Speaker 1: council and then not following the news and and just
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  Speaker 1: being a victim of circumstance. We feel like, you know,
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  Speaker 1: the best way to help our process, our city, our
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  Speaker 1: path forward is be involved, Understand the issues, take a position,
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  Speaker 1: take a well informed, educated, educated position. You may not
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: agree with our our strategy, but at least consider it,
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  Speaker 1: consider our standpoints. And again, you know, the strength of
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  Speaker 1: the community, I think is the glue that really holds
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  Speaker 1: this country together. And so talk to your friends and family,
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  Speaker 1: talk to the church groups, talk to uh, you know, uh,
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  Speaker 1: whoever you are closest to in terms of just spreading
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  Speaker 1: the word, getting in the most educated opinion out there,
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  Speaker 1: and then acting accordingly. You know, inaction is just not
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  Speaker 1: part of the structure. And that's again we said, you know,
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  Speaker 1: all right, this is over. We fought it legally, it's
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  Speaker 1: not going to work. So let's just go home. Recalls,
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  Speaker 1: you know, to your point, Richard, you know, recalls never work.
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  Speaker 1: This is a feudal effort. We're just going to lose.
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  Speaker 1: Let's just vote in four years or in three years
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  Speaker 1: for the next election, and we just we found that unacceptable.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: We as citizens need to be responsible, we have to
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  Speaker 1: be involved. And again, like I said, if you can't
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  Speaker 1: do things at the local level, that is a sad
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  Speaker 1: commentary on our state of affairs in this country.
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  Speaker 2: Well, and I want to be really clear to him.
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  Speaker 2: Maybe I wasn't, but maybe I need a little bit
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: more red bull here. But the truth is is that
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  Speaker 2: we have provisions for recalls, and we have them for
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  Speaker 2: a reason. And I think you guys are going about
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: it the right way. Because I'm not taking a particular
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: position right now, it doesn't mean that I won't at
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: some point. There will be people I know who'll say, well, Tim,
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: hang on here a second, is this really just about
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: adequate representation, because you know, Tim, some of these a
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: large people can be voting in favor against some of
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: the things that you prefer. We've got this renegade guy
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: on council and Dave Donaldson. People complain about him because
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: he always puts his nose into other people's business and
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: doesn't just vote on things that affect his district. I'm
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: being very sarcastic, Tim, because I think very highly of
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  Speaker 2: Dave Donaldson, But I know people will ask you this,
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: or at least they'll ask me this. So wait a minute,
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: is Tim Lewin really just doing all of this because
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: he wants to run for that office.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Well, to answer that question, I am not actively running, profice.
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  Speaker 1: I am a citizen and district too who felt inadequately
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  Speaker 1: represented and wanted to do something about it. I have
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: no personal ambitions to take that seat. I'm not a
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: politician who is maneuvering to make a vacancy so I
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: can fill it. I have personal ambitions for that answer
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: that one directly. What I will say though, is again,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: that's it's you know, because I've heard this perspective a
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: lot from my friends on the on the other side
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: of the issue, And what I would say is is
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: inaction is no excuse. You know, this is our first
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  Speaker 1: Amendment right. We feel that we have a valid case
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: to put the question up to the people of District
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: two for them to decide. Again. You know, my group,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: of the group of volunteers, in myself, we are not
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: recalling Tom Bailey. All we're doing is just putting that
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: question up back up to the district to constituents because
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: we feel like they should have that opportunity given the
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: voting record of mister Bailey so far.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: You know, I want to quote Seinfeld here. It seems odd,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: but there's an episode they're talking about something and they
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: I'll say, not that there's anything wrong with that. And
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: I do want to be clear, both to you, Tim
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: and to everyone else. In my mind, it really wouldn't
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: matter a whole hell of a lot whether you thought
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: that you need to have the recall and when it
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: comes to finding a replacement that you may well be
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: the most qualified person. And so I don't think there'd
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: be anything wrong with that at all. Asked the question
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: because I know a lot of people would ask that question.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: Final thing before I let you go, and that is
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: something Tim that you wish I'd asked you, or that
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: you wish it had had a chance to talk about
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: that we hadn't to this point.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: You know the I love the city, I love Color Springs.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: I love my community. You know I live in Pine Creek,
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: as I stated, and again at the local community level,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: with your friends and family closest to you, this is
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: where the issues matter. This is where real action, real
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: change needs to occur. And when you feel like you
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: aren't being adequately represented by your government in any echelon,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: but especially at the local level. You know, this a
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: it's a non partisan issue. It's it's this, This affects
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: you so intimately, so closely. It affects your family, and it
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: affects your children, if that through friends. This is why
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: we're so passionate about it, and this is what motivates
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: you know myself that in my very capable group of
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: volunteers and friends to go from door to door and
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: speak our message and let our voice be heard, because
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: that is just so essential to us. And you know,
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: the Constitution is a federal document, but again it's it
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: lives and breathe at the local level and affects you
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: at the local level. So that's how we feel, and
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: that's my perspective. And again we're going to pose that
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: people that question to the people of District two. We're
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: a little short in the signatures, there's no doubt in
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: my mind that we that we're going to hit those
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: numbers and put this question on the Recall that ballot
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: is inevitable. It's going to happen. And again, the people
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: of District two, the great people of District two, are
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: going to put forward a candidate I have. I have
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: no doubt in my mind that the people of District
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: two will put their preferred candidate forward and we'll rectify
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: the situation, get adequately represented, and move forward.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: You've got it. Thank you for your time here today.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: Go ahead and text me the information for websites or
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: Facebook pages so that people want more information on that,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: we can send them in that direction again if they
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: also wanted to help out on that. And I wanted
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: to be clear about one more thing, tim and for others,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: when I said, you know, you look at some of
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: this big article in the gazette saying how recalls you know,
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: don't work and this kind of thing. There's a part
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: of that that they don't take into the equation. And
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: I recall this from the state legislature. Just because you
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: don't go through the entire process of having the recall
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: and a new election and all of that doesn't mean
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: that it didn't work, because a lot of times you
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: just want that particular individual out of that office. And
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: what's happened several times is that that person sees the
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: writing on the wall and steps down, vacates that position.
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: And to me, that's successful if you're one of the
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: people who would like to make that change. God bless
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: you and thank you so much. Tim. We'll go ahead
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: and take a break here. I'm running way behind. I
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: just want to make sure that give people adequate time.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: And of course, if Meylee wants to come onto the
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: program rebut any of this happy to have him on,
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: we'll do that as well. We'll get your comments and
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: text messages and calls seven one nine seven to one
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: five zero seven four zero. Short Break hit the ground
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: on a couple of new topic, especially talking about Minnesota,
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: Minneapolis and the President. When we come back,