Morgan Recall about to get underway

Roseburg, Or- After the furor caused by County Commissioner Susan Morgan filing suit against Douglas County Clerk Patricia Hitt, in her efforts to overturn the county term limit ordinance, a group of citizens have decided to mount a recall campaign to remove Morgan from office.  Chief Petitioners Ralph Lamell and Mario Zayas plan to turn in documents to the Douglas County Clerk’s office Wednesday September 30, seeking to get their petition approved for circulation. Lamell, a retired U.S. Army Non-Commissioned Officer, said he decided to take up this recall campaign “because when an individual swears to an oath, they are bound by that oath 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Susan Morgan is supposed to look out for the financial welfare of the county and enforce the county ordinances.” Lamell said that Morgan, by entering into a lawsuit against the county, is “creating a financial burden on the county taxpayers.”  He said “If  we let a commissioner over run the voting public, then we are no longer in control of our elected governing officials; we would no longer live in a constitutional republic, but a dictatorship.”  Lamell and his wife Heidi, live with their five children on what he called a “small homestead farm” south of Roseburg.   “We moved to Roseburg to be around family and provide a better future for our children after my retirement. We enjoy the outdoors, fishing and hunting and the company of their friends and neighbors.”  Lamell, who spoke at last week’s commissioner meeting, hasn’t been active up to this point in local politics. “We are just ordinary people, nobody special, but I couldn’t stand by and watch this happen.” He said “somebody has to hold our elected officials accountable.” Lamell is joined by local businessman Mario Zayas who is also a Chief Petitioner for the recall. Zayas is the owner of Gino’s Automotive.  Lamell said he is optimistic about the prospects of collecting the nearly 3,000 signatures required to get the recall on the ballot. The term limit measure Morgan seeks to overturn was passed by 69.42% of the vote in November of 2014.