Recall effort against Bellevue city councilman launched

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) - Bellevue City Councilman Pat Shannon has become the subject of a recall effort to remove him from office after he was acquitted of a misdemeanor,

A recall affidavit was filed Friday afternoon with the Sarpy County Election Commission, the Omaha World-Herald reported (https://bit.ly/2sYFZfC ).

If approved, Shannon will have 20 days to submit a defense statement before the petition is prepared. Recall organizer Christine Jurgens will then have 30 days to gather the nearly 6,600 signatures needed to call a special recall election.

Shannon told The Associated Press on Saturday that he plans to meet with the local election commissioner on Monday. He does not believe the recall affidavit meets requirements to include proper reasons for seeking the recall and thinks it will be denied.

“It’s just the latest in a long series of political attacks by people who want to change the outcome of the election,” he said.

But Jurgens said Saturday she has confidence in the affidavit she submitted. Even if it’s found lacking, she said, she will submit an amended one.

Shannon has been a contentious figure on the City Council since being elected in November.

On Thursday, Shannon was found not guilty of violating electrical license requirements for a building he owns. Last month, the City Council voted to give Shannon until the middle of this month to come up with plans to fix a car wash he owns that residents say is an eyesore.

Shannon also has an unpaid $16,000 fine from the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for violating campaign finance laws in 2004. The commission has been trying to collect on that fine for more than a decade.

___

Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com