April 11, 2008
By CHRISTINA TATU
FRANKFORD — Feeling fed up and ignored by the township, a group of citizens are calling for Mayor Robert McDowell to step down.
A group of three residents — Sam Castimore, Richard Wingle and Yuan Lin, all Route 565 land owners — have filed a "notice of intention" to recall McDowell from office.
The notice states that McDowell "clearly is not representing the best interests of the citizens of our town."
"I feel that elected officials should do what the people want them to do, and it doesn't seem that he wants to do that. He has his own agenda," Wingle said.
The notice was received by the township on April 3.
McDowell was elected for his second term as committeeman in November. He was appointed mayor in January.
"I'm just trying to do my job, and I think this whole thing is silly," McDowell said.
The next step in the recall process will be for those who requested the notice to begin a petition. According to county Board of Elections Administrator Margaret McCabe, the petition must be signed by 25 percent of the township's voters in order to be considered valid.
According to Township Clerk Louanne Cular, Castimore, Wingle and Lin will need 947 signatures for the petition to be considered valid. If they get the signatures, then a question will appear on the November ballot asking citizens if they want a new mayor.
"I wouldn't be doing this unless I thought I could get the votes. I've been in the township for 35 years, and I know a lot of people. I'm not going to ask them to do me a favor, I'm just going to present them with the facts," Wingle said.
As required by the notice, McDowell submitted a response to the recall notice. In the response, McDowell said, "This zoning change protects our current businesses and our lakes and streams on both sides of 206 ... Bob, a longtime resident of Frankford, hopes that you do not involve yourself in this selfish and misguided recall effort. We need ratables that make sense, but do not turn Routes 206 and 565 into extensions of the Newton area sprawl."
Some officials and residents feel a proposed ordinance to restrict commercial development to the town center at Ross's Corner is meant to eliminate a proposed eight-store strip mall along East Shore Lake Owassa Road, which is near McDowell's home. The amended copy of the ordinance, presented at the March 27 Township Commit-tee meeting, was revised to include local veterinarian Sam Castimore's property and still includes the area north of Augusta Hill Road and Plains Road on Route 206 despite recommendations from the Land Use Board to remove 206 from the ordinance.
"I am surprised that people think I have a personal agenda. I don't actually live near the (proposed strip mall). I live a mile and a half away from the site. I was a bit surprised to hear from Sam Castimore. Yes, he ran against me in the past, but I actually really like him. But that's life. So be it," McDowell said.
Wingle, who owns Wingle Supply company on Cook Road in Branchville, said that he is upset by McDowell's lack of response to residents' concerns over the proposed ordinance.
Wingle is hoping to move his growing landscaping supply business to property he owns on Route 565. He says he's not sure how the ordinance would affect the business, but he believes his property will lose its value if the ordinance is passed.
"I don't think the town did enough research on this ordinance. They didn't talk to any of the business owners to see how it's going to affect their values," Wingle said.
