Committee kicking off recall efforts

SANDPOINT — Officials in the Committee to Recall Tom Luna movement are starting efforts with a bang by coordinating a series of a statewide events on Saturday.

Bonner County is no exception.

Both the curious and the committed can check matters out for themselves at the Sandpoint kick-off drive in Farmin Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

The Saturday events will trigger a 75-day initiative to gather the 158,106 signatures required statewide from Idaho voters to recall the state superintendent. Statewide committee manager Morgan Hill said that the signature drive will be a challenge but well worth the effort.

“Of course, there’s some people who doubt that it’s possible because it has never been done,” he said.

Hill said that the secret to accomplishing the unprecedented feat is organization. To that end, he spent last week on a grand tour of Idaho, driving from county to county and meeting with regional organizers. Those meetings established plans for the Saturday event and provided focus for the coming months of work.

“The purpose of the road tour was basically get people prepared and up to speed,” he said. “There’s a lot of work ahead.”

In many cases, Hill had only previously communicated with the volunteers via email.

“One reason why I’m very excited is that there’s a big difference between talking to people online and actually meeting with them,” he said.

With preparations nearing completion, Hill and other officials expect the next few months will be defined by a large-scale door-to-door campaign for signatures. The meat and potatoes of the campaign, a sufficient number of signatures will force Luna to either resign or to file for a recall election.

“I think people realize the necessity of removing the architect of these measures that would decimate our education system,” Hill said.

If recall efforts are successful and Luna is removed from office, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter will appoint a successor. Hill said that if they reach that point, the committee will present the governor with a list of suggested candidates.

In the meantime, however, Hill remains focused on the task at hand — and he’s optimistic.

“Never before in the state’s history have we seen such backing on a single issue,” he said. “I think those who doubt its possibility will be surprised — including Superintendent Luna.”