Residents Fall Short On First Recall Bid

Kellogg-area residents hoping to recall four hospital board members failed to get enough valid signatures on their first try.

However, they have another month to get the needed 240 signatures to put the recall on the May 26 ballot, said Shoshone County Clerk Marsha Wingfield.

“A lot of people failed to recognize that they needed to give a residency address, not a post office box,” she said Tuesday.

The four targeted trustees are members of the West Shoshone Hospital District board. They are Katherine Joy, Terry Spohr, Marie Stevenson and Robert Launhardt. They have come under fire for their votes not to renew the contract of Shoshone Medical Center administrator Bob Morasko.

The community, and hospital employees in particular, are sharply split over the question of whether Morasko’s Med Management Inc. should remain in charge. Leaders in the recall effort include Theresa Seeley, wife of Dr. Alan Seeley, and Dr. Mary-Alice Janzen. The two doctors are employed by the hospital.

The petitions fell short by 44 signatures for Launhardt, 37 for Stevenson, 31 for Joy and 27 for Spohr.

, DataTimes