ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A petition to recall Wasilla city council member Steve Menard, was filed on Monday at Wasilla City Hall.
The Conservative Patriots Group sponsored the petition, and began collecting signatures soon after Menard's business trip to Sitka in August, when he racked up more than $350 in hotel cleaning fees.
The hotel bill details charges that include a burned mattress, vomit on the carpet, urine on furniture, and evidence of smoking. Menard publicly apologized, was asked to pay back the travel expense of $1,140, and is no longer allowed to travel on city business. However, sponsors and supporters of the petition say the behavior is an embarrassment.
"We believe that our politicians should exhibit the highest character and the highest values and morals when they're serving in office and we just found him to be quite lacking in those," said Frank Bettine, public relations officer for the Conservative Patriots Group.
The Wasilla City Clerk is verifying each of the 284 signatures on the petition, making sure each person who signed is a registered Wasilla voter. The process could be done by Thursday. If the petition falls short of the 201 required signatures, sponsors will have ten days to collect extra signatures. The city clerk says if the petition is certified, a special election will be scheduled.
