Thoughts from Homer as recall dust settles
Share
TweetWhile a Homer recall organizer and targeted council members both said their local recall was difficult on the community, it also made its citizens more engaged.
All three Homer City Council members targeted for recall retained their seats in June after a recall effort failed in their community.
Pro-recall political action committee Heartbeat of Homer spokesperson Sarah Vance said the effort increased people’s participation in local government, including her own. Vance said she wasn’t engaged in local, state or national politics until the recall effort gained traction. Now she’s running for city council.
She said despite the strain on the community, there “is light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Unfortunately there has been on both sides of the fence a lot of harshness,” Vance said. “People are people. It’s been a highly emotional thing. I always have hope that our community is going to come to a place again in saying, ‘How are we going to move on from here?’”
Homer city council member Dave Lewis, a target of the recall, agreed that the ordeal increased participation in government, although he wasn’t as enthused about the process.
Homer has always been split, Lewis said, but a city council-passed resolution earlier this year stating Homer was an inclusive community sparked the recall effort, and brought political differences to the surface.
“I hope things work out for those being recalled, (it’s) nothing but a pain in the a**,” Lewis said.
Lewis is not running for city council again, a decision he made before the recall process began.
Homer City Council member Catriona Reynolds, on the other hand, has decided not to run again because of the recall effort and the “accompanying vitriol.”
She said the recall will have “long-term repercussions.”
“Elected officials will be unwilling to bring forward ideas and legislation,” Reynolds said. “Individuals are less likely to be willing to serve in this volunteer capacity for what was already a pretty thankless task.”
