Erin Black recall sponsors deliver signatures to Loveland City Clerk – Loveland Reporter-Herald

The second City Council recall in less than a year could be heading for Loveland ballots this November.

On Wednesday, sponsors of a petition to remove Ward 3 representative Erin Black submitted nearly 2,200 signatures to the Loveland City Clerk’s office, more than two weeks ahead of their June 24 deadline.

“It took a lot more effort than we realized — we really had to pound the pavement,” said Amanda Masters, one of five sponsors behind the campaign. “Our volunteers were rock stars.”

Black was elected to represent Ward 3 in 2023 on a platform of protecting the rights of Loveland’s most vulnerable residents and bringing more accountability to city leadership and the police department.

Her 18 months on the council have not been without controversy.  Last year, she was the subject of a harassment complaint filed by Loveland Police Chief Tim Doran, who accused the councilor of singling him out for mistreatment due to his religious views.

More recently, Black and some of her supporters were captured on video in a profanity-laced confrontation with Loveland resident Dillon Kaiser, after an online dispute escalated to an in-person altercation.

Though criminal harassment charges were filed against four of the participants in the March 29 incident, including Kaiser and Black’s husband, the Ward 3 representative will not be facing legal consequences.

For Cynthia Snyder, another recall petition sponsor, the video of Black confronting Kaiser in Dwayne Webster Park was the catalyst behind the effort to unseat her.

“I have never been involved in a political campaign at all,” she said on Wednesday. “I just saw the video and thought ‘this is not good.’ It was based strictly on her behavior and not taking responsibility.”

In a written rebuttal included with the petitions, Black defended her record and said the effort to unseat her was politically motivated. She also accused the recall group of wasting taxpayer dollars.

“If you want a conservative, partisan, dark-money-backed candidate running a negative smear campaign — then vote to recall me,” Black’s statement reads in part. “If you want a human rights advocate who will remain fiscally responsible, support needs-based development and protect the rights and livability of all residents — then vote to retain me as your Ward 3 representative.”

Black did not respond to the Reporter-Herald’s request for comment on the signed petitions.

Under city rules, the recall committee needed to gather at least 1,322 valid signatures from registered voters in Ward 3, or 25% of those who voted in Black’s 2023 election.

Masters said that the group is confident volunteers have met the threshold.

“Cindy and I went through and validated what we could,” she said.

Starting Thursday, Loveland City Clerk Ashley Macdonald and her team will have five business days to review the signatures and validate their authenticity, using state and county voter records to compare. The clerk’s staff will also verify voter registration status and Ward 3 residency.

“Then, at the end, there’s a chance for them to cure,” Deputy City Clerk Chad Thompson said. “If they don’t have enough signatures, they can either go out and get more or cure those signatures that they already have.”

The clock is also ticking for Black, who has 15 business days to file a protest against the petitions. If she does so, a hearing on her complaint will be held within 30 days from the date the petition was filed.

The deadline for certifying the petitions is 5 p.m. Wednesday.  If more than 1,322 are found to be valid and there is no protest, Loveland City Council will be obligated to refer the recall question to the Nov. 4 ballot. Candidates to replace Black will also be included.

While Masters and her group could have asked for a special election within 90 days, she said they decided to wait for the coordinated election, to save the city some money.  A March 4 special election to select a successor for Troy Krenning, who resigned in January before facing a recall, cost nearly $100,000.