Texas: Lake Dallas recall effort fails

The recall effort against Lake Dallas Councilman Steve Forgey failed. Petitioners handed in 153 signatures, only 66 were validated. They needed 102 signatures of people who voted in the last municipal election. Plus, just to make sure it's impossible, the petitions are required to have a proper voter identification code and birth date, as well as a the date of the signing.  The issue is approving the City Manager from drawing two salaries (one as police chief, one as city manager).

Petitioners disagreed -- claiming that the signatures were of 25% of qualified voters, not actually people who voted. Their point would have held in most places, but:

 Lake Dallas’ city attorney David Berman responded to the claim, citing the city’s charter in section 6.04.“A petition to the city council for recall, initiative or referendum containing the signatures of qualified voters equal in number to no fewer than 25 percent of the qualified voters who voted in the last municipal election, shall be presented to the city secretary no later than 30 days following the filing got the affidavit by the petitioners’ committee.”