Hold the Confetti, Linda. The Recall Is Still in Play.

Petitioners attempting to recall Mark De Forge are challenging the County’s count. One undercounted signature could change the result.

Linda Galas-Merten’s political network has rushed out a verdict on the effort to recall Councilor Mark De Forge.

Before the victory lap gets any louder, however, petitioners have a question about signature sheet 15.

According to chief petitioner Thomas Hauth’s October 12 filing, Washington County reported 284 signatures submitted, 242 accepted and 42 rejected. The requirement is 243.

In other words, one signature short.

Now, in a twist, petitioners say the County appears to have undercounted its own tally of sheet 15 by one vote. Hauth has formally requested verification of the hand count, reconciliation of the totals and a written explanation of any correction.

If that review produces even one additional valid signature, the recall survives.

City Hall also received six supplemental signatures intended to address earlier rejections. The submission and Hauth’s letter bear October 12 receipt stamps.

Those signatures are now pending review. The County has not yet issued a statement. But the main takeaway is that the recall appears to remain viable—and the network’s own announcement acknowledges that petitioners still have time to submit additional signatures.

Color us skeptical on Smart Growth's sweeping dismissal.

The messages circulated through Friends of North Plains Smart Growth and Strong Towns North Plains portray the recall as some sort of dystopian industrial-expansion maneuver, rather than a community demanding government accountability.

Readers who consult the actual recall statement will find only concerns about staff departures, unfinished audits, disrupted services, increased fees and public trust.

It is worth remembering that DeForge did not reach his council seat through a public election, and in the ten months following his contested appointment has done substantial harm to the city and to public trust.

As TRFNP’s appointment investigation documented, Don Weber nominated De Forge after joining Council by appointment himself. Residents seeking a vote on DeForge’s tenure are exercising a voice that the appointment process never gave them. Let the people speak.

Linda's “public movement” lecture also invites a closer look at the lecturer.

While we await the County’s redetermination, tomorrow we will examine the signature-gathering operation behind the 2024 urban growth boundary referendum and the outside organizing that helped build this political network.

Residents won't be surprised that only 28 of the 320 signatures submitted by Linda Galas Merten's network in 2024 were actually gathered by residents of North Plains. That's roughly 9 percent. The other 91 percent were gathered by a far flung group of activists from Portland, Hillsboro and places that certainly aren't North Plains.

Say it isn't so.