White Pine Recall Drive Hosts Ely Bash, Free Hot Dogs

The drive to recall two White Pine County Commissioners is kicking into high gear with supporters throwing a recall party this Saturday at the county park complete with free hotdogs, said recall drive organiser James Adams.

“Until now we have been going to the outlying areas of the county,” Adams said. “This is our first big event in Ely.”

Last month Adams, Timothy McGowan and Cheryl Ann Noriega filed notice of recall against Commissioners Mike Lemich and John Lampros.

According to County Clerk Lin Burleigh recall supporters must garner at 821 signatures of White Pine County voters who actually vote in the 2010 election.

“That’s 25 percent of the total number of voters who voted in the 2010 election.” Burleigh said. “They have 90 days, until October 8th.”

According to Adams even without hitting Ely yet the group is well within their goal.

“We have had great response in every public meeting we have had,” Adams said. “I really can’t say as of now how many signatures we have but I think we will easily make the required number.”

According to Adams the recall effort got a boost after the two embattled commissioners filed a defamation lawsuit against him and the two other filers.

“There is definitely a backlash,” Adams said. “The suit just showed people what we were saying is true that both men govern through intimidation.”

In addition to the back lash fellow commissioner Mike Coster announcement that he would sign the petition also gave the movement a needed shot in the arm.

Coster’s support of the drive not only gives a much needed political push to the effort but as an attorney his name on the petition could also quell trepidation among other would be signers that they could be sued if they signed the petition.

“From reading the NRS I really think this suit was filed to stop the recall process,” Coster said.

In a post on the White Pine/Ely Politics facebook page Coster wrote:

Fragments of some interesting reading about defamation cases, not necessarily relevant to Nevada or White Pine County:

“Furthermore, defamation suits can be abused. Sometimes, individuals who speak out against abuses are tagged with large defamation suits that are often merit less. During the past decade, commentators coined the term Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPP suits, to describe these suits.”

“Libel-proof plaintiffs: This defense holds that some plaintiffs have such lousy reputations that essentially they are libel-proof. The theory is that one cannot harm someone’s reputation when that person already has a damaged reputation.”