OAKDALE, La. (AP) — Some residents in a central Louisiana city want a new mayor in the post after an audit investigation allegedly found the city clerk stole nearly a million dollars over several years.
Oakdale residents filed a recall petition against Mayor Gene Paul, who's on his third term, on Jan. 27. They have 180 days to get signatures from at least 33 1/3% of the city's registered voters, or 934 signatures of the 2,803 registered voters, Allen Parish Registrar of Voters Monica Warren said.
Residents said the petition is not just about Paul, but also about the future of Oakdale, KALB-TV reported.
“When you look at a town of like Oakdale and you see it’s obvious there’s not a lot of money," resident Bridget Perkins told the station. “We can’t afford to lose $900,000, $800,000.”
Perkins chairs a private Facebook group that is trying to rally support for recalling the mayor. She says the mayor failed to perform sworn duties. Perkins said in a 24-hour period, they had collected about 125 signatures.
If the required amount of signatures is collected and verified, the governor will then have 15 days to issue a recall election.
Councilman Jeremy Smith said he understands the community’s frustrations.
“I’m going to do everything I can to instill confidence, professionalism and integrity moving forward.”
In a statement to the station, the mayor said he takes the petition seriously and understands that city residents “have been let down and are looking for someone to blame.”
He said though he's done nothing legally wrong, “it is disheartening that it happened under my administration.”
The mayor noted a number of improvements that he said have happened under his watch such as $11.5 million in funding received after 2020's Hurricane Laura. That money has been used for projects such as digital water meters and upgrades to water wells, he said.
“Moving forward, I will continue to work hard for this city, as I have the last nine years. We have made so many positive improvements to Oakdale and will continue to do that," he said.
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