By: Sharon Aron Baron
On May 14, the Supervisor of Elections validated 1,556 signatures from the residents in District Two of Tamarac who want to recall Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad.
Woodlands residents alone made up 529 of those signatures.
Neighbors from every section in the Woodlands went door to door collecting signatures in the month of March and April during the first phase of the Recall. Many already knew about her corruption charges, acquittal and reinstatement to office, and had already signed during the first attempt at the Recall held in January which failed by 18 signatures.
The Recall Team started the petition again from square one, this time verifying each signature before it was turned into the Supervisor of Elections office. Out of all the signatures, only 18 were found to be invalid due to either being in the wrong district, ineligibility, no signature , or no date.
Despite so many of her own neighbors clearly not wanting her to represent them as their public official any longer, Atkins-Grad steadfastly remains in office saying she will not leave. She has even filed a lawsuit to prevent the recall effort from moving forward. Chan Lowe, Editorial Cartoonist for the Sun Sentinel wrote in Saturday’s paper:
A first attempt at a recall by those she represents failed, and a second is in the works. Adding chutzpah to chutzpah, Ms. Atkins-Grad, way past the stage where embarrassment might cause her to stand down, has filed suit to thwart the will of her constituents.”
Recall committee members met on Thursday, discussed their options and vowed they will move forward into the final round. They need over 15 percent of the district or over 1,800 signatures this time. Instead of having only 30 days, they will have 60 days.
The residents of Section One are offering their clubhouse to make the signing process quick and easy for those that wish to sign the petition during the final round, by having a drive-through. They will staff the clubhouse on the following days:
Section One Drive Through Petition Signing Clubhouse on Rock Island RoadTuesday: May 28th 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Bob Bearse
Thursday: May 30th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Maryanne Masterson
Saturday: June 1st 11:00am – 2:00pm Bob Bearse
Tuesday: June 4th 4:30pm – 6:30pm Bob Bearse
Thursday: June 6th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Maryanne Masterson not available
Tuesday: June 11th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Bob Bearse
Saturday: June 15th 11:00am – 2:00pm Maryanne Masterson
Tuesday: June 18th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Maryanne Masterson
Tuesday: June 25th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Bob Bearse
Saturday: June 29th 11:00am – 2:00pm Bob Bearse
Tuesday: July 2nd 5:00pm – 7:00 pm Maryanne Masterson
Saturday: July 6th 11:00am – 2:00pm Maryanne Masterson
Tuesday: July 9th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Bob Bearse
Saturday: July 13th 11:00am – 2:00pm Bob Bearse
Residents can also go to the Tamarac Public Library on Thursday evening July 18 at 5-7pm or Saturday July 20 from 10 am – 1pm.
Volunteers from the Woodlands will be going door-to-door so look out for your neighbors. Our volunteers will either be in green shirts or have an identification tag on them.
If you have any questions about the recall, please call our Woodlands Team Leader Judith Margolis at 954-733-5787 or email her at JudithMargolis@hotmail.com
