A supplemental petition filed by the petitioner seeking to initiate a recall election of Las Cruces City Councilor Nathan P. Small, District 4, lacked the necessary number of valid signatures.
A total of 839 valid signatures were required to certify the petition for a recall election. A total of 625 valid signatures were verified Monday by the Las Cruces City Clerk’s office – 214 valid signatures short of the required number.
The initial petition filed February 6, contained 677 valid signatures. The supplemental recall petition filed April 6, contained 169 valid signatures, which brought the total to 846.
The City Clerk’s office received 241 requests from voters who signed the initial petition to have their names removed. Only 221 signatures were eligible to be withdrawn, which brought the valid number of signatures to 625.
Recall attempts against councilors Olga Pedroza and Gill Sorg also failed. In both of those races, hundreds of people also requested to have their names removed from petitions.
The petition drives, which were supported by the political action committee New Mexicans for a Better Tomorrow, were marked by reports that some petitioners misrepresented the recall campaign, claiming the petition was to prevent the closure of a youth boxing center.