Once again operating under his own rules, realtor Marty Donovan will have an attorney deliver 3,916 petitions on Monday morning August 23 at 8:15 to Pensacola City Clerk Erica Barnett for counting and certification.
According to an email from Greg Fink of Marketing Metrics & Media L.L.C. who worked on the petition drive, the signatures were “sealed and certified before the end of calendar day of August 20, 2010.”
The city charter states clearly “All initiative and referendum petitions must be filed with the City Clerk within sixty (60) days of the commencement date of the initiative or referendum proceedings.” The sixty days ended at close of business at city hall on August 20.
Under the Donovan “rules,” the petitions can be delivered whenever the political action committee wants – Monday, Tuesday or next year– just as long as an attorney does it and they are “certified and sealed.” …..seems like a stretch.
Someone needs to buy Mr. Donovan a watch with a calendar. I wondered how he would take this defeat…looks like he can blame city staff for his failure this time. Last fall it was apathetic city voters.
Will Marty and Jack take the City to court for their inability to get the petitions to city hall by 5:30 p.m. on August 20?
BTW: The old charter (Section 15) didn’t set the time at midnight either. Donovan had no trouble delivering his signatures before 5 p.m. in 2006 or in 2003.