Paradise residents vote in favor of recall

Voters within the Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise voted this week to recall two of the district's board members. Each race was within two votes.

Ballots had voters choosing for or against the recall of Rick McCollum and Sunny Chase. In both instances, more voters selected to recall the board members. For McCollum, the vote was 35 in favor of the recall, and 33 against. For Chase, the current board president, 36 voters in favor of the recall and 34 voted against the action.

Of the 112 ballots mailed to voters within the sewer district, 71 — just over 63% — were returned by the time polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Results of the election are not official until certified by Sanders County Elections staff.

The Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise in May 2020 voted to go forward with a $4.5-million community sewer project. In February, Paradise resident Cody Lampman filed a petition in February calling for the removal of Chase and McCollum from the board, alleging the board members violated state open meetings laws.

The next meeting of the board si scheduled for Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.