PUEBLO — The push to get rid of Pueblo's strong mayor form of government is back on track Monday night. Pueblo City Council passed the ordinance on its first reading.
A committee pushing for the change submitted 3,830 signatures to the City Clerk's Office on March 1. The clerk announced the petition was insufficient on March 14 after 2,814 names were verified.
Councilmember Lori Winner, a supporter of the change in government style, said she moved to put the ordinance back on the agenda. She said the committee petitioning for the change is also filing a lawsuit against the city after it says the clerk wrongly denied signatures.
A committee volunteer said the clerk disqualified four signature packets because the notary page had become detached from the signature sheets. Winner said the petitions were turned in with a handwritten notary page after the typed notary page had fallen off. She said if a judge certifies the signatures, there would be enough to put the issue on November's general election ballot.
Winner said the lawsuit to put the issue on the general election ballot is an alternative in case the council does not pass the ordinance for a special election to be held on August 8. She said it is likely the ordinance will be denied by city council because two members are running for mayor and Mayor Gradisar has the option to veto it if passed.
"We're not going to get the vote from Council and I believe the mayor would veto it. If we had four votes, he would highly likely veto it.
The mayor doesn't want to get rid of the mayoral position either," she said.
Pueblo City Council will have its final vote on approving the ordinance for a special election in two weeks.
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