JohnA: When Spirit Lake Recalled Moe

JohnA: I went through this same process when I was city administrator in Spirit Lake. The mayor, an honorable man by the name of Bill Moe, was the subject of a recall. It was spearheaded by the former mayor Bill had had the temerity to unseat. The petition contained several mistruths so I took it to a prominent local attorney. He stated it would be an uphill batlle to contest the wording on the petition and that we’d be better off defending the mayor’s record, which we did. The matter went on the November ballot (in 2000) and the turnout was a record for the small town. It appeared to me that supporters of the recall were clearing the local bars of its patrons so they could register and vote for the recall. For at least guy I talked to on the way out it was the first (and likely the last) time he had ever voted. In the end the mayor received hundreds of votes more than he had when he was elected but still lost by seven votes. More below.

In the end it was an extraordinarily sad event to see as Bill Moe was a very good mayor. Not unlike Sandi Bloem he was very forward-thinking during his time in office.

For the town itself it remained divided for many years after the recall and benefited its citizens very little. I hope we don’t have to witness the same thing in Coeur d’Alene because I know first hand how fractured a town can be during and after a recall process.