Estes recall petition available tonight outside city council meeting

A recall petition to remove Councilman Joseph Estes from office may get a boost tonight when it is available for signature prior to the city council meeting at the Global Water Facility, 22590 N. Powers Parkway. Supporters of the petition said tonight is the “official kick off of the petition.”

Beginning around 5:30 p.m., the petition will be available outside the council meeting (work session 6 p.m., regular meeting 7 p.m.) for signatures until the end of the council meeting. Signers will need to be registered voters of Maricopa.

Global Water Spokesperson Paul Walker said there was no problem with the public obtaining signatures on the facility grounds tonight as long as it was done appropriately.

“Our thought is we’re trying to be partners with city council, and we’re allowing them to have their meeting there,” Walker said. “But it is a public meeting, so we’re not going to draw a line where people are allowed to go, other than to secure areas of the facility. Where the public is allowed to come in for a meeting, I don’t know why we would try and restrain them from any action that is not deemed inappropriate. We’re not going to infringe on people’s rights to circulate a petition.”

The petition to remove Estes was taken out around 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon at Maricopa City Hall. Maricopa resident Jim Gerard filed the recall paperwork and said he needs to obtain 53 valid signatures within 120 days to get the recall on the ballot for next March.

Petition supporter Dan Lathrop said on Tuesday that “Councilman Estes has used his position to provide benefits to his clients and himself that are not available to other business interests.”

Estes is general counsel for A.N.D. Northroup, a Maricopa land company. Estes, who joined council in the fall of 2005, said in an interview with inmaricopa.com last week that he intended to serve until his term expired in 2010.