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A sometimes testy recall drive against Peoria Vice Mayor Ron Aamesmay fall short of the signatures needed to get on the fall ballot,according to the effort's lead organizer. Martha Regan filed the initial recall paperwork against Aames inMarch, mainly citing last year's controversy surrounding theredrawing of council district boundaries. Regan said the group is trying to collect the required 560signatures well before the July 13 deadline to ensure the recallgets on the November ballot, but she isn't sure that will happen. This is the second council term for Aames, who ran unopposed in2010 to represent the Palo Verde District in south-central Peoria. Some residents and council members, including Mayor Bob Barrett,criticized Aames last year as being self-serving when hesuccessfully lobbied for a city consultant to come up with newredistricting maps that preserved incumbents. The additional mapswere introduced after the initial six maps were presented toresidents for feedback. Critics said the introduction of new mapsshort-circuited the public's voice. "It was a slap in the face to community members that providedinput," Regan said. Those in favor of new maps, including Aames and Council membersTony Rivero, Carlo Leone and Dave Pearson, defended the new maps bysaying they initially had been misled by the city attorney intobelieving incumbency could not legally be a factor inredistricting. After they learned it was possible, soon after thefirst six maps were made available publicly, they sought the newoptions. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the controversial map thatensured incumbents weren't pulled out of their districts. Aames said he doesn't see any problem as the federal governmentsigned off on the map. Regan called that disingenuous. She said thegovernment gets thousands of redistricting maps and primarilychecks to ensure minority representation is maintained, not for thefactors over which residents had a grouse. The group has other concerns with the vice mayor, including recentpostcards he sent to introduce himself to new constituents drawninto his district after the redistricting. Regan called it"wasting" taxpayer money on "self-promotional" items. She also criticized Aames' use of district funds for subdivisionentry signs. Each council member annually gets $30,000 to spend onhis or her district for community projects and other purposes. He's also criticized for not supporting a past Peoria schoolsbudget override. Aames said he didn't see how sending a postcard to his newconstituents, many of whom he had not represented before, waswasteful. He called it effective communications, "the Number 1thing citizens want." He said he has supported schools, including using district funds topay for playground equipment. He said he was asked at the lastminute to add his name on a letter supporting a 2010 override forPeoria Unified School District, but he didn't want to sign off onsomething without knowing enough details. He called the recall a "misguided grudge." Resident Bill Bercu, who has been in Aames' previous and newcouncil district boundaries, said he doesn't see the need for arecall. "My personal experience has been that he's very responsive," Bercusaid. He added that spending money on entry signs make sense as theyenhance the appearance of a neighborhood. "It's not a waste of money," Bercu said. In the past couple of months, the recall group has often been atcommunity events and parks to gather signatures. On Cinco de Mayo,outside the Peoria Main Library, police were called twice tointervene when things got acrimonious between Aames and hissupporters and the recall group. Regan said Aames "wedged himself" between them and the residentsseeking information that led to a confrontation. Aames said he wasthere to observe what was going on "just as anyone being challengedwould do." He said the recall group got annoyed when he tried toexplain his position to some residents who appeared to be waveringabout signing the petition. "It's my First Amendment right to speak as well, right?" Aamessaid. Aames said Councilman Carlo Leone again called police when a recallsupporter "started yelling and came charging" at him. A Peoria police spokesman said police talked to both parties anddetermined no crime occurred, as everyone involved was exercisingtheir right to free speech. Regan said even if the group is not able to gather enoughsignatures, she sees it as a win-win. "He's on notice that we're paying close attention," Regan said."He's operating under the delusion that he can do what he wants andno one cares, but he picked the wrong district.". The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Wire Enameling Machines , Wire Taping Machine Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Wire Twisting Machine today!
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