Hayes tries to calm recall fervor

COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County Clerk's Office is warning everyone involved in the Coeur d'Alene City Council recall and anti-recall efforts to play it straight.

Lying, threatening, extorting or bribing in relation to petition signatures are felony offenses, and citizens should be aware of the law as the recall effort is under way, Kootenai County Clerk Cliff Hayes said Tuesday.

Hayes, whose office will verify the petitions' signatures, issued the press release after discussions online surrounding the controversial recall have suggested committing such offenses.

"Several actions being discussed on some of the blogs about this issue are felony offenses," Hayes said in a prepared statement.

The felony list includes lying to obtain signatures, to hindering or threatening those who want to sign.

Spokespeople from both the recall group, RecallCdA, and its counter movement, Stop The Recall, said they supported the office's press release and wanted to operate their movements above board.

"That is a game we have been playing from day one, and the game we want to be playing," said Frank Orzell, RecallCdA organizer. Orzell said he doesn't monitor online conversations, although the gist of some of them have been relayed to him. "I don't want to be called a vigilante, I don't want to be called un-American. . .I don't want to get down and play in the mud."

Stop The Recall, which is organizing a rally in downtown Coeur d'Alene tonight, said the same.

"I think it's good. We're all about facts, and this certainly addresses that," said Jennifer Drake, anti-recall organizer. "I know we're double, triple and quadruple checking our facts, and I would hope that the recall people are doing that on their side, but I'm not sure that's the case."

Online conversations have a tendency to run any which way. Often posted anonymously, readers can write rumors, facts, opinions or jokes. Hayes didn't specify which blog sites his office read that prompted the warning, but he did say one example surfaced when a commentator suggested those who oppose the recall could sign fake names.

"I'm wondering if we're taking the wrong approach and should all sign them. Just not legit names," Coeur d'Alene citizen Adam Graves posted on one online site, "then when they go file and are reviewed they would be off by thousands! Is that illegal?"

Graves told The Press Tuesday the post was a joke.

"Hopefully, nobody would take that seriously," he said. "You can't be doing anything illegal - everyone knows that."

Cd'A recall no-nos

These acts by either recall petitioners or opponents of the recall could constitute a felony crime, the Kootenai County Clerk's Office reports:

• They make any statements re: The recall that are untrue in an effort to gain signatures for the recall.

• They make an untrue statement in an affidavit about the recall.

• They obtain petition signatures under false pretenses.

• They intimidate others to take any action they do not wish to take.

• They extort or bribe any citizen or business to be for or against the petition effort.

• They hinder or threaten others who may want to sign the petitions.

• They sign a petition without being a registered voter in Coeur d'Alene.

• They sign a petition using a fictitious name, or any name other than their own legal name.

• They sign the same recall petition more than once.