Taking on the Government Bellingham anti-camera initiative backers submit nearly 7,000 signatures
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/06/20/1713912/bellingham-anti-camera-initiative.html
(While ATS and others say people "support" the RLC scam", more revolts continue to grow).
Bellingham anti-camera initiative backers submit nearly 7,000 signatures
FACEBOOK ACTIVITY JARED PABEN; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: 06/20/11 6:17 pm
BELLINGHAM - Supporters of the initiative restricting traffic-enforcement cameras turned in nearly 7,000 signatures Monday, June 20.
They need 3,880 valid signatures from Bellingham voters to qualify for the November ballot.
"I'm really excited we got just shy of 7,000," said Johnny Weaver, a member of Transportation Safety Coalition, which backed the initiative. "I think that sends a really big message to the City Council and all of the politicians to allow it to go to the vote."
The group submitted the signatures to the city, which will give them to the Whatcom County Auditor's Office for signature verification. They submitted 875 signature pages, said city spokeswoman Janice Keller.
They had until Friday to submit the signatures.
The initiative, similar to those in other cities also backed by initiative activist Tim Eyman, would require removal of any red-light cameras and school-zone speed cameras that have been installed, and would require voter approval if the city wanted to install them in the future.
It also would restrict the dollar amount of fines to the equivalent of the least-expensive parking ticket, which is currently $10.
The city plans to install four red-light cameras at intersections and two speed cameras in two school zones. The cameras haven't gone in yet, but officials have estimated they'd be installed around mid- to late-September.
If the city initiative qualifies, it first goes to the City Council, which could approve it. If the council rejects it, ignores it or passes a different version, then the original language goes to the ballot.
Pete Griffin, elections supervisor at the Auditor's Office, said that because they submitted nearly 7,000 signatures "it's very unlikely that they won't have enough."
The city plans to pass the signatures to his office Wednesday, and his office will begin processing them June 27, he said. He estimated they would finish checking signatures June 30.
Once they confirm the required number of valid signatures - those from registered voters living inside city limits - they'll provide a certificate of sufficiency.
Griffin estimated roughly 15 percent to 20 percent of signatures could be invalid, but it depends on how well petitioners communicated with people on the street, he said.
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