I just read your piece entitled "Councilwoman Who Urged Investigation of Mystery Lights Over Arizona Overcomes Ouster Effort." Unfortunately, your piece is filled with inaccuracies and misstatements of fact, in part, because you relied mostly on your interview with Barwood for your "facts" on this story. The ridicule which Barwood may have received from the Mayor or other Councilmembers on her Phoenix lights investigation may be real, but your claim that the campaign to oust her from office "didn't get serious until Barwood raised questions about the mysterious lights..." is absolute B.S.! If you had interviewed anyone closely involved in the recall campaign you would never had made such a foolish statement.
The recall drive started in February, 1996 (long before the Phoenix lights were an issue) and became a legal "war" in September, 1996 when the City of Phoenix Clerk's department refused to accept that we had enough valid petition signatures to force a recall election. It did not intensify after she started calling for an investigation of the Phoenix lights. If she believes this then she really is as delusional as some people have claimed.
Superior Court Judge Myers ruled in January, 1997 (not May 12th) that we had enough valid signatures to force a recall election. Then in April, 1997 he ruled we should be awarded $11,600 in attorney fees. The City of Phoenix wouldn't accept his ruling and appealed it to the State Court of Appeals, which in June ruled in support of the Superior Court that the election should go forward but reversed on attorney fees, meaning that I and Chris, the other plaintiff, are potentially stuck with $26,000 in legal bills (while Barwood's private legal bill to intervene in our suit was paid by the City of Phoenix!). Is this justice? We are appealing this decision to the Arizona Supreme Court and hope they will reverse the Appelate Court on the award of attorney fees.
I do not intend to offend, but merely wish to see that the truth is expressed about a situation (the recall) which I know intimately and which has been a major part in my life this past year. The recall election is now over. The only reason Barwood won it is because her two opponents split the anti-Barwood vote. She garnered less than 50% of the vote, which is certainly not a resounding victory. God help us if she were to become Secretary of State!
Original file name: CNI - Barwood v. Creelman.final
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