Kellogg recall petition rejected

KELLOGG - A recall petition submitted by Veterans for Restoring Memorial Park to the city of Kellogg has been declined by Shoshone County.

According to Kellogg City Clerk Terri Sharp, the petition was found to not contain enough valid signatures to force a recall election for Kellogg's mayor and City Council.

Some signatures were found by the county to not be from Kellogg residents, and others were not registered voters. Sharp said that although the veterans may have taken registration cards with them for those signing to register, the cards were not completed and turned in on time.

The source of tension between some Silver Valley veterans and the city of Kellogg stems from when the city removed the longstanding Veterans' Memorial from its original location in front of the Scout House on Hill Street.

The memorial honors Shoshone County servicemen from World Wars I, World War II and the Korean War. After digging up the memorial, the city moved it to a new location alongside the Silver Valley Veteran's Memorial. Further fueling the controversy, the city re-raised its Tree City, USA flag on the City Park pole.

Since the petition has been rejected, petition organizers must wait 90 days before they may start the process again from the beginning.

Sharp said she has been trying to get into contact with representatives from the Silver Valley veterans group, but was unable to relay the county's verdict as of Tuesday morning.