Special to The North Jefferson News



State Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-51st, announced last week in a press release that he will file a bill prior to the 2009 legislative session that will provide for a recall process to remove elected officials at the state and county levels.

Under current Alabama law, only municipal officials are subject to recall.

“Accountability by elected officials to the taxpayers is the key to good government,” Treadaway said.

He said candidates often make promises in order to garner votes and don’t keep those promises once elected or simply do not represent the best interest of the voters. The bill would provide a mechanism to remove those officials without waiting an entire election cycle, he said.

Treadaway’s bill will require a vote of the people because it amends the State Constitution. Some of the provisions of Treadaway’s bill include:

• Submitting to the secretary of state for state officials or to the Probate Judge for county officials a notification to recall, specifying the reason(s) for recall

• Within 160 days from the notification, a petition for recall signed by 30 percent of the number of voters for that office during the last election must be submitted to the secretary of state or probate judge

• The secretary of state or probate judge shall maintain a continuous count of the signatures certified to that office

• The governor, judge of probate or mayor shall set the recall election not less than 60 days nor more than 80 days after the sufficient number of signatures are collected

• Candidates who wish to run during the recall election must file with the appropriate authorities subject to all campaign and ethics laws

“The ballot box is an appropriate place to recall state or county elected officials who shirk their responsibilities to their constituents,” Treadaway said in the release. “There must be accountability at every level of government.”