A recall hearing against Tenino City Council member Frank Anderson, who owes the city more than $140,000, is set for Thursday at 9 a.m. in Thurston County Superior Court.
Judge Thomas McPhee will decide whether the Tenino Recall Committee’s charges against Anderson are legally sufficient for the committee to collect signatures.
Justin Kover, a recall committee member and spokesman, said the group would need 89 signatures to force a special recall election.
State law requires that the recall committee gather signatures from 35 percent of the total number of voters who voted for Anderson in the last election, Kover said. He was elected in 2009.
“If the voters vote yes in the recall election, Frank is removed immediately,” Kover said.
The six-member Tenino Recall Committee filed its complaint against Anderson on Sept. 26.
Kover said the complaints stem from Anderson owing $127,000 to the city for code violations for his dilapidated property at 1097 Park Ave. E. in Tenino, as well as $14,720 in unpaid water bills.
If McPhee shoots down the complaints, the committee will appeal, Kover said.
Anderson has not made a formal statement about the accusations but said he will attend the hearing with his attorney.
“We are going to be there in full force,” Anderson told The Chronicle last week.
The committee also wants to recall Councilman Robert Scribner, who was discovered to have used state resources when working at the Department of Labor and Industries in June to access personal and confidential records on Mayor Eric Strawn and other council members.
The group needs to consult with lawyers before filing a complaint against Scribner, Kover said.
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