Greeley – A city councilman may face a December recall election because of his criminal record and a politically incorrect comment he uttered earlier this year, say his critics.
LeRoy Johnson, 49, has until Friday to decide whether he wants to protest the recall petitions handed in to Greeley City Clerk Betsy Holder on Friday.
Holder said Monday she certified 443 valid signatures, enough to start the recall process. If Johnson doesn’t protest the signatures, he must either resign or put himself up for recall vote, Holder said.
Citizens for Integrity in Government collected the required number of signatures well before the Monday deadline, said David Gutierrez, who led the petition drive.
“The people of Ward 1 have spoken and said they deserve better representation than what they have received from Mr. Johnson,” Gutierrez said.
Johnson, who has been on the council since November 2003, said Monday he will not protest the petitions nor will he resign.
“I will fight for the job that the voters elected me to,” he said. “I have no intention of letting someone force me from my job. … I have been an effective leader for Ward I.”
He said the petition organizers have mischaracterized his record and portrayed his quotes out of context.
Johnson drew heavy fire for his remarks at a July hearing over whether the City Council should designate the Cranford neighborhood a historic district.
Johnson told a packed audience that he had admired the Cranford area since he was a child, adding: “They have some pretty good-looking women who live there.”
Johnson said he never intended to offend anyone and that he only wanted to lighten up an otherwise long and tense public hearing. But his comment, along with his brushes with the law, show a lack of integrity and judgment, Gutierrez said.
Johnson was cited for harassment in 1993 and 1998 after physical confrontations outside the Greeley Mall.
In May, Johnson pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after fighting with a boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend’s in Northglenn.
Most of the people who signed the recall petitions were angry that they were never told of Johnson’s criminal record before he was elected to the council, Gutierrez said.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
