A self-described 'fiscally conservative watchdog' organization failed Friday in their effort to force a recall election against Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Madison Citizens for Responsible Government set out last month to collect 34,520 signatures in 30 days to force the recall. The effort stemmed from grievances against a comprehensive tobacco ban, among other issues.
'It is no secret that Madison is a fortress of unbridled liberalism and that chances of total victory were slim,' CRG Network spokesperson Chris Kliesmet said in a statement.
According to Madison CRG spokesperson Heather Mees, the group gathered roughly 7,000 signatures, although Mees said she suspects that a few thousand more were collected but not properly submitted by the over 150 volunteers.
Despite the failure, the CRG cited its success in accomplishing several 'secondary objectives' such as providing 'evidence of incompetence and potential corruption within the current City of Madison administration.'
Mees said the Mayor's office failed to respond in a timely way to an open records request from Madison CRG asking for 'all e-mails sent, received or deleted from the mayor's office pertaining to the tobacco ban.'
Mees said the request was made on Oct. 25, but the mayor's office did not comply until Dec. 1.
'That's a little excessive,' Mees said. 'It makes you wonder, 'What are we trying to hide''? Mees said the CRG has plans to contact the State Attorney General on the matter.
The CRG also touted its success in developing 'hard data that reveals which City Council Alders may be vulnerable targets for future political action.'
Mees explained that the Madison CRG planned to develop a database of recall signature addresses to determine which alders to target, based on geographical concentrations.
'Obviously, those alders may be some of the ones that are not complying with what their constituents want,' Mees said.
Cieslewicz responded to the news of recall failure by reiterating his record as mayor. 'Since I took office in 2003, we have created over 4,700 new jobs in Madison and maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation,' Cieslewicz said.
However, the CRG has shown no signs of discouragement. 'We now intend to demonstrate our real strength, to be relentless,' Kliesmet said. 'As we tell all of our affiliates, win, lose, or draw, elections and recalls are not the end of the race, they are the beginning.'
