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independent@htc.net |
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If it happens in Monroe County, it's news to us! |
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Today's News - February 6, 2007 Columbia Election Board Strikes Down Advisory Referendum Petition  Listening to an opening statement during this morning’s Columbia Election Board proceedings are, left to right, Tom Adams, Columbia city attorney; Kevin Hutchinson, mayor; and Mike Conrad, senior alderman. The Columbia Election Board this morning voted to accept objections filed to a petition submitted by a group of Columbia citizens seeking to get an advisory referendum on the April 17 ballot. The non-binding advisory referendum would have allowed Columbia voters the opportunity to lodge their support or opposition to Columbia Crossing, the proposed commercial development planned for I-255 at the Fish Lake overpass. The objection was filed Friday by Columbia resident Scott Schumacher, and included seven points to illustrate the petition, submitted by a group called Citizens for Columbia, did not follow election laws and was in parts misleading and incorrect. Of the seven points, the election board agreed with four of them, three of which were considered fatal flaws, meaning that each of those points individually was enough to invalidate the entire petition. Schumacher was represented by Jim Mello, also an attorney for the preferred developer of Columbia Crossing, G.J. Grewe. The petition’s organizers were represented by Portia Oberkfell. At last night’s Columbia City Council meeting, the council voted to place an advisory referendum on the ballot similar to the one struck down today. The election board’s decision can be appealed until Feb. 15.  Portia Oberkfell, left and Denise Sueme, representing the Columbia residents who filed the petition for the advisory referendum, along with attorney Jim Mello and Scott Schumacher, who filed the objection to the petition, listen to instructions from city attorney Tom Adams.
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