Petitioners Miss Deadline In Attempt To Recall El Paso Mayor

The latest attempt to recall El Paso Mayor John Cook has reached a dead end.

The recall drive, led by Michael Hayes, started in April amid discontent over the mayor’s tie-breaking decision to overturn a voter-approved ordinance that would have stripped away health benefits for gay and unmarried partners of city employees. That ordinance would have also taken away the benefits of more than 100 unintended city employees and retirees.

The approximately 6,100 required signatures to make a recall election official were not turned in by petitioners in time. Petitioners had a 60-day window to gather and submit the signatures.

ABC-7 reached out to the recall’s organizer, Michael Hayes, to ask why the effort was unsuccessful. He did not return voicemails or e-mails.

Mayor Cook said he congratulated Hayes for his effort. “Trying to recall an elected official if you disagree with them is part of your first amendment right and (Hayes) followed the law (doing so),” said Cook.

Cook has heavily criticized the previous recall attempt against him, which was led by bishop Tom Brown and the group El Pasoans For Traditional Family Values.

An appeals court ruled Brown’s group did not follow the specific state requirements for gathering the signatures.