Recall is official for Ferraro, Pacini

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

The recall is on in Boulder City.

Mayor Bob Ferraro and City Councilman Mike Pacini face an early April recall election, acting City Manager Vicki Mayes said Tuesday.

Early voting will be April 1-3 and Election Day will be April 6, said Mayes, who is also the city clerk.

Mayes said the secretary of state's office notified her Tuesday afternoon that the petitions calling for Ferraro and Pacini's recalls had enough valid signatures.

Mayes said potential challengers have until March 17 to turn in petitions to get them on the ballot.

Ferraro and Pacini have long said they expected the petitioners would get enough signatures to force a recall, and both said they weren't surprised by Tuesday's announcement. Ferraro said he's already started his campaign effort with some fund-raising.

Pacini said, "Bill Smith's been talking recall since the last election."

Smith, a former councilman, lost to Ferraro by 18 votes in the city's June election. While collecting signatures for the petitions to recall Ferraro and Pacini, the recall-effort volunteers also collected signatures to put Smith on the ballot against Ferraro and businessman Arn McLean against Pacini.

Recall organizers have said they already have more than enough signatures to put Smith and McLean on the ballot.

Recall volunteers and organizers have said they are primarily motivated by the situation at the city-owned Boulder Creek Golf Club. The golf course opened in January 2003 to glowing projections of quick profits, which the incumbents echoed throughout the spring campaign.

Then weeks before the June election, an independent auditor reported the $22 million course had instead lost about $480,000, which has grown to more than $2 million in losses on operations.

Leaders of the recall effort have said the mayor and council either knew or should have known the true financial condition of the course earlier.