Hartford, SD (KELO AM) – One man, two votes
That’s what stood between residents of Hartford and a recall election for Mayor Bill Campbell on Tuesday. Over 280 residents signed a petition calling for the recall, more than enough to force the issue to a city wide vote which would have taken place in late December or early January had the city council not voted 4-3 in favor of throwing the petition out.
Mayor Campbell was not present at the meeting and therefore could not vote. The remaining six councilors split the vote on the recall, leaving Council Chair Doyle Johnson to first cast his own “No” vote, then break the tie with a second vote.
Tony Randall, the resident who began the petition drive, was left speechless by the fact that Johnson was allowed to vote twice in the matter. “In all of your thoughts of democracy, for someone to be able to vote twice is just unheard of.”
Randall told KELO Radio News that he’s not sure of what his group’s next course of action will be. He and several other residents believe that Mayor Campbell has not been running an open government.