I’ll be honest, I dislike just about every vote that a Republican representative makes. They tend to go against my core values of taking care of people. That said, I would never, never, never consider signing a petition to recall one of these individuals simply because I don’t like the way they voted. Recalls are meant for situations when an elected official breaks the law, or commits a serious ethical violation (like sentencing a rapist to 6 months so as not to ruin their future). Voting as a representative sees fit doesn’t qualify for a recall. They are doing the job that they were elected to do.
As lawn signs go up demanding a recall of Representative Tiffiny Mitchell I’m truly shocked and a little disappointed in people that I consider friends. I ask my neighbors why they have a sign and they spout rumor, all of which can easily be disproved with a little research. Or, they say they don’t like how she voted. None can cite an actual ethical violation or dereliction of duty.
Representative Mitchell is one of 38 Democratic Representative in the Oregon Legislature. Her vote does not control an outcome. So, one has to wonder who’s paying for those signs and who’s pushing a recall against this particular individual, and why. Intimidation comes to mind and Representative Mitchell has withstood the harassment with unparalleled grace and patience.
As paid signature gathers canvass the area I hope that each of you will consider not signing based on rumor, emotions, or general dislike for an opposing party.
I truly believe that we’re better than that.
I would like to know that there is not 4,883 among us that would so flagrantly disregard the very idea of democracy that they will use their collective voices to undermine the process. There is already an excellent procedure in place to remove unwanted representatives from office; it’s called voting.
#RejectTheRecall
Yvette Clark
Nehalem, OR