WHEELING - The counting is complete, and petitions seeking a special election to overturn Wheeling's two-man cruiser law came up 350 signatures short.
But efforts to collect more signatures and have an election will continue in the coming days, said George Jones, organizer of the petition drive.
Under city code, petitioners get 10 days after certification to collect any needed signatures and resubmit them.
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Wheeling City Clerk Janice Jones examines petitions submitted in an effort to overturn Wheeling’s existing two-man cruiser law. The petitions came up 350 signatures short.
City residents Jones and William Hefner, on May 5, presented to Wheeling City Council 107 petition pages bearing the 2,463 signatures they had collected since January 2008. Those who signed were attesting that they wanted an election to overturn existing city law mandating that two police officers must ride in cruisers on patrol.
A total of 2,212 valid signatures - representing 10 percent of all registered voters in Wheeling - was required by law to hold such an election.
City Clerk Janice Jones said it took more than three weeks to verify the petition signatures submitted by Jones and Hefner, and that she even had to hire a part-time employee to assist her.
In the end, it was determined that the petitions included 1,862 signatures - exactly 350 fewer than required, according to Janice Jones.
Included in the valid total were the signatures of 16 people who have died since signing the petitions.
"It's just like in early voting," she said. "If the person dies after early voting, the ballot is still counted."
Most of the signatures rejected were from residents who weren't registered voters or who didn't live within Wheeling's city limits.
Janice Jones said she has yet to officially certify the petitions. After doing this, she must send George Jones a letter informing him that the petitions were short, and that he has 10 days to gather the needed signatures.
She noted that she planned to send out the letter today.
"I tell him they'll have to get more than 350 signatures just to make sure they're all good," Janice Jones said.
George Jones said Tuesday that he planned to go out during the evening to start seeking more petition signatures, and he believes obtaining 350 in the coming days will be achievable.
"I hope so," he commented. "I was hoping she could hold off and give me a day or two more, but we'll deal with what we got."
George Jones has placed petitions at the following locations throughout the city:
Those wishing to volunteer for the effort should call George Jones at 304-242-4227.
The two-officer cruiser law has twice gone before the public. It was first approved as law by Wheeling's voters in 1973; it was upheld in a second election in 1980.
Because voters passed it into law, council can take no action to abolish or retain it, according to city code. Changes to the law can only be accomplished through another election.