GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — A concerned citizen informed county commissioners she and her group would work to recall a D51 school board member or two at yesterday’s Mesa County Commissioners meeting.

Ricki Howie publicly announced she along with her group, Coffee and Civil Action are going to be working towards recalling a member of the D51 school board.

Western Slope Now reached out to Howie, but we have not heard back yet. In the meeting, Howie did not specify a board member as the target of the recall.

Recent school closures and a decision against a health clinic in the new Grand Junction high school have stirred turmoil among parents, staff and students. D51 School Board President Andrea Haitz recently sent a mass email soliciting campaign funds for her husband, who is in a race for city council, District B. In the email, Haitz used her school board title, a possible violation of a written ethics policy.

What would be involved in the process of a recall?

First, a person or group must submit documents to Mesa County to get a petition for a recall. The city will then inform the individual sought to be recalled in the petition. This individual would then have 3 days to submit an optional statement claiming why they shouldn’t be recalled.

If the defendant does issue a rebuttal statement, it must be amended to the petition before the city will approve it.

Once the petition is approved, the group will have 60 days to obtain 15,000 signatures to get the recall election, per Mesa County Clerk Bobby Gross. All signatures need to be from registered voters, match their voter registration and have the same address associated with their current registration. According to Gross, the group should shoot for 15,750 signatures, an extra 5% in case signatures are invalid.

If the recall petition reaches 15,000 valid signatures, a recall election will be held. Depending on the timing, the election would be held as a special election or attached to the November general election.

Western Slope Now will follow the development of the recall petition.