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| Recall Riebe petition filedThis article was originally published in the the Amador Ledger Dispatch on May 10, 2000, and is reproduced here with its permission. By Joanna Baker Jackson—Notices of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition have been given to Amador District Attorney Todd Riebe. The first notice was prepared by Jackson City Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis and her husband attorney Bud Lewis. However, due to a transposed street address, only 19 of the required 20 signatures were valid. A second notice, containing 28 signatures, most of them different from the signatures on the first notice, was presented to Riebe yesterday afternoon. Riebe has seven days in which to file an answer to the Statement of the Proponents, after which the circulation of recall petitions will begin. Four thousand signatures are necessary to cause a recall election. The proponents hope to have the process completed in time for the November election. The notice reads that Riebe "makes his own rules utilizing intimidation rather than litigation, operating on personal grudge and bias rather than on the evidence." It accuses Riebe of "flagrant violations and abuses" such as outrageous searches, unlawful arrests and abusive prosecutions." Riebe told the Ledger Dispatch that he believes "the citizens of Amador County are intelligent enough to know what is motivating this recall effort and who is really behind it." Riebe stated that, "I am going to continue to do the job I was elected to do." In a written statement Riebe said he was "placing my office at the forefront of positive change in our community." He cited the creation of units in the District Attorney's Office that specialize in the investigation and prosecution of elder abuse, welfare fraud and child abduction cases. He stated that special units focusing on domestic violence and prison crimes will be created. Riebe said, "I am also personally prosecuting a murder and child molestation case and am too busy to allow myself to be distracted by those who seek to occupy my time with this mean-spirited campaign." When contacted in Florida where she was vacationing, Marilyn Lewis said, "I am not spearheading this recall. I'm just one of the people concerned." According to Rick Paul, who helped to gather signatures for the second notice, there were 20 volunteers willing to donate a day each to obtain the necessary 4,000 signatures. The Ledger Dispatch questioned Lewis if any of the offenses attributed to Riebe in the notice occurred in cases unrelated to the Womack 'gastankgate' case. She was able to recall only one. Lewis said, "Even if it is only Womack, people should know it could happen to one of their families, too." Copyright © 2000 Amador Ledger Dispatch |
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