Second Petition to Recall Detroit Mayor Tossed - Third One on the Way

David Josar / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The Wayne County Election Commission on Wednesday tossed out a second petition to recall Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, but a third recall petition was filed Tuesday, and the man who had his petition nixed Wednesday has already filed several more.

Election Commissioners Cathy Garrett, who also is county clerk, and Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz both voted that the petition filed by Angelo S. Brown, 45, a security guard from southwest Detroit, was too vague.

The third commissioner, Chief Probate Court Judge Milton Mack, had no problem with the wording of the petition.

Brown, who filed four more petitions in recent days asking for a recall election targeting Kilpatrick, gave as a reason in his petition that "the felony perjury charge takes away time from him to be a good mayor."

Last month, Kilpatrick was charged with eight felony counts related to the $8.4 million whistle-blower lawsuit, trial and settlement.

On Tuesday, John Isaac Harris filed a recall petition whose reasons included Kilpatrick's firing of two cops and the mayor's agreement to settle the whistle-blower case to cover personally embarrassing information.

Mack, who has headed the commission for 10 years, said the greatest challenge is not filing a petition or having it approved for circulation, but rather collection of roughly 55,000 signatures in 90 days to get the recall before voters.

"It's a massive undertaking," he said. "I've never seen it done."