Our view: Recall effort is a ridiculous waste of time

Even in tough economic times, it’s hard to miss the signs that a positive new era in local government may be beginning in Del Norte County.

The latest example is the cooperation to jump-start short-term improvements at Crescent City Harbor and moves by both the city and the county to study long-term ways of helping the harbor fulfill its potential as one of the economic and cultural linchpins of Del Norte.

Officials at various local jurisdictions have also worked well together to make the quick decisions necessary to take full advantage of federal stimulus money.

Into this, City Councilwoman Donna Westfall tosses a grenade.

Somehow, Westfall seems willing to accept only part of what city voters decided last November. That’s when they elected her and Kathryn Murray to the City Council, and re-elected Dianne Nickerson city clerk. Now, Westfall says her fellow winners from less than half a year ago should be thrown out of office along with Mayor Kelly Schellong. And Westfall is ready to lead the charge.

She revealed her plans in an e-mail that she apparently intended to keep secret, even though one of her targets was among the recipients. In that missive, Westfall said she’d like to see recall papers served at a City Council meeting because, “Personally, I’m for drama.”

She then explained that she wasn’t targeting Councilman Dennis Burns for recall because “that would leave me and (Councilman Charles Slert) in charge of running council meetings. We are not up to snuff quite yet.”

Indeed, Westfall is not “up to snuff” when it comes to public policy. During last year’s campaign, she was the least knowledgeable of three candidates who were highly critical of how the city had handled its sewer plant expansion. When other issues were raised, she was less knowledgeable still.

Since taking office, her main focus at council meetings has been pushing for the city to rid its water of fluoride. There are thoughtful opinions on both sides of this issue, but the fact is it’s decades old and the majority of health experts contend fluoride has been highly beneficial in preventing tooth decay.

In essence, Westfall wants to have her colleagues thrown out of office because they disagree with her about reopening issues that were resolved, for better or worse, long before last fall’s city election. Meanwhile, she’s contributed practically nothing to the handling of issues related to the city’s future, except to organize some sidewalk clean-ups.

Improvements are needed at City Hall, which did mishandle the sewer plant expansion and got itself mired in a financial bookkeeping mess from which it is only now beginning to emerge. But an ill-advised recall campaign against newly elected public officials is a distraction, not an improvement.

If you’re a registered city voter and are asked to sign a petition to put the recalls on the ballot, do Crescent City a favor and refuse.

We need leaders who will work together for the common good. Those who fall short in this regard should be removed from office — the next time they are on the ballot in a regularly scheduled election.