Commissioner Horgan’s suit challenges recall effort as ‘misleading’

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 4:15pm
By: John Munford

Fayette County Commissioner Robert Horgan is asking a superior court judge to quash an effort by some local residents to kick him out of office.

A petition asking for the recall application to be “ruled insufficient” was filed on Horgan’s behalf in Superior Court Friday afternoon, less than two days after the citizen’s group filed the 500-plus signature application with the Fayette County Board of Elections.

Horgan was arrested Saturday, May 23, by a Fayette County deputy sheriff on misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and driving with an expired tag. After first telling the sheriff’s deputy he had nothing illegal in the vehicle, Horgan admitted on the scene that he had smoked marijuana while driving the truck, according to the incident report.

As various critics have lambasted him at commission meetings ever since his arrest, Horgan has remained silent and offered no comment.

The recall application alleges that Horgan both violated his oath of office and committed an act of misconduct.

Horgan’s Superior Court petition challenges the recall on several aspects, chiefly the fact that it lacks any pertinent details surrounding the marijuana charge, including whether or not it occurred while Horgan was conducting business as a county commissioner.

Horgan also contends the recall application fails to state whether his arrest was “in any way related to his office” and doesn’t include a copy of the citations he was given in connection with the case. The filing also notes that the recall application didn’t include a copy of the oath of office he is alleged to have violated.

“Without the foregoing facts or documents, included in the application, those deciding whether or not to sponsor the application would have insufficient information and may be misled as to the circumstances of the facts to make an informed decision,” Horgan’s recall petition states.

The petition was filed on Horgan’s behalf by local attorney Christy Jindra.

Under Georgia law, the chairman of the recall effort will bear the burden of proof during a later court hearing on the matter. The recall effort is chaired by Peachtree City resident Robert J. Ross, who is also being assisted behind the scenes by former county commissioner Harold Bost.

The petition challenging the recall application will be heard by a superior court judge from outside the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Fayette, Spalding, Pike and Upson counties.

A special prosecutor and special state court judge will be appointed to handle the criminal case on Horgan, who was arrested on the side of the road and later bonded out of jail.

Should the recall effort be allowed to continue, the recall committee will have 45 days in which to gather 21,454 signatures of Fayette voters who were registered to vote in last year’s election. If that goal is met, the list must then be verified by the elections office before a recall vote can be scheduled.

If voters remove Horgan from office, a second vote will be required at a later date to elect a replacement. Even under those circumstances, Georgia law allows Horgan to run in the special election to determine who will be elected to his post 1 seat.

Horgan is one of five county commissioners, all of whom are elected at-large, meaning all county voters may vote on each individual seat. This is unlike traditional district voting where only persons in a given district may vote for one candidate to represent them.

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Submitted by Save Fayette on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 7:30pm.

Hang in there, we need you to stay. Don't let this small group run you out.

Submitted by scribbler on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 10:34am.

(1) Character counts -- THAT is how the arrest/event is related to the office;

(2) The commish seems unable and/or unwilling to live within and by the laws he is sworn to uphold;

(3)The constituents who placed their good faith and conscience in Horgan's representation on the Commission have been betrayed by his LACK of character, overt criminal behavior, and LYING to the deputy that arrested him; NOW "excusing" his own criminal conduct through this court plea.... give us a break.

(4) Horgan: Save the county the time and expense of trials and recall elections: Please say goodbye -- now is better; Later is most certain.

Git Real's picture
Submitted by Git Real on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 1:00pm.

Don't resign you dope head. We will get to replace you at the polls in about 14 months saving the taxpayers probably over $100,000 in election costs. If you resign then a special election will take place without the ability to get the voters out in decent numbers to replace Horgan by a decent county wide consensus.

By the time Bost Hogg gets the recall numbers he needs it'll be well into 2009 and then by the time they get a special election up and running we'll be a mere months from election date with a ram-rodded incumbent already in place. Let's wait for qualifying and replace our dope smoking commish via the next election cycle saving us taxpayers some tax monies so we won't need that damned SPLOST. Don't give Bost and his cronies the opportunity to Rham a candidate down our throats like they did when Dan Lakly passed.

Bost already cost us over $90,000 when he resigned a couple of months after getting elected as commissioner a few years back.. Come on folks.... DON'T let Bost Hogg cost run HIS special election tabs up to nearly $200,000 just so Harold Boast can strut his stuff while reminding himself how important he is to himself.

Save Fayette From Bost and Company!

Obama.... The Bernie Madoff Of Washington


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