Recall hearing will not take place October 20

The previously scheduled October 20 hearing to determine if a recall election for five elected officials in Whitehall would move forward, will instead take place at an undetermined date.

Earlier this month, Jefferson County Election Administrator Bonnie Ramey moved for the Fifth-Judicial Court in Jefferson County to set a telephone hearing to discuss resetting the date. Ramey made the motion on the grounds the September 20, 2016 death of Mike Fellows, the Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, has caused significant disruption to the election process and to Jefferson County Elections Office.

District Court Judge Katherine Bidegaray ordered the hearing to be vacated. Judge Bidegaray also ordered a telephone conference take place October 20 at 9 a.m. to discuss resetting the hearing.

The hearing addressing the challenging of recall petitions for Mayor Dale Davis and Council members Tom Jenkin, Gary Housman, Joe Adams and Vincent G. Keogh, originally took place August 1, but was not completed after being called to an end after 90 minutes of testimony.

The law firm of Guza, Nesbitt, and Putzier had challenged the petitions arguing the petitions were invalid as to form, and that they were legally insufficient. The petitions were submitted by Whitehall resident Lynn Nemeth.