A former Poway City Councilmember and a local businessman announced at the March 4 council meeting that they are in the process of organizing a recall effort against embattled Councilmember Tony Blain.
Last month the council voted 4-0 to censure Blain amid allegations of vote trading, threatening recalls against colleagues and attempting to use law enforcement to silence critics. It was the first time the city has censured a councilmember in its 45 years.
John Mullin, who served on the council from 2010 to 2022, announced during the public comment portion of the meeting that he and his wife, Susie, are working with former Councilmember Anita Edmondson and Kiwanis Club of Poway member John Couvrette on the recall effort.
Blain, the District 2 representative, was sworn in on Dec. 17.
Mullin and Couvrette both spoke at the meeting about the recall effort and their reasons for starting it.
They said that allegations against Blain of vote trading, extortion and bribery are being investigated by the San Diego County District Attorney as possible felonies.
The two also said Blain attempted to “weaponize law enforcement against his critics” by asking city staff and the city attorney to have Sheriff’s deputies arrest residents who disagreed with him.
In addition, they said Blain had been “bullying and harassing” city staff and refused to interact with staff .
“We have had a 45-year history of having a collegial and respectful city council until now,” Mullin said after the meeting.
Although Blain did not address Mullin and Couvrette during the meeting, he sent a text to the Poway News Chieftain reporter after the meeting.
Blain alleged after the meeting that Mullin, a former painting contractor, and Couvrette, who is in the property management and real estate business, would lose money if he is elected mayor and slows down Poway development.
“That is the motivation behind their political attacks of me,” Blain said.
The group has 84 signatures — more than the 60 required — for the notice of intention to circulate a recall petition, Mullin said.
The recall effort will now move forward, he said. After the notice is mailed to Blain a notice will also be sent to City Clerk Carrie Gallagher.
The next step will be forming a steering committee of 30 to 40 people, said Couvrette, a 29-year resident of District 2. After that the committee will work on gathering at least 2,500 valid signatures on a recall petition, he said.
If enough signatures are collected, the petition organizers say that would prompt a District 2 vote on whether Blain should be recalled.
Blain did not attend the Feb. 4 meeting in which he was censured, Mullin noted. At the March 4 meeting, Blain stood up and went out a door behind the dais when public comment began. He did not return until public comment was completed.
“He’s ill prepared to try to defend his actions,” said Mullin. “When he knew he was going to be censured he didn’t come to the meeting. When he knew he was going to be criticized he left the room. It’s childish.”
Blain said in a text after the meeting that he believes recall notices can only be served after a council member has been in office 90 days, which for Blain would be on March 17.
“Does that make all his (their) current signatures invalid?” Blain wrote. “Therefore I am not served and Mullin needs to recollect all the signatures.”
Mullin, however, said he interprets the Elections Code as saying the collection of signatures for the notice of recall can start before the elected official has been in office 90 days.
“When you look at the requirements for what needs to be in the notice of intention there are no dates,” Mullin said. “There is no prohibition for when to collect the signatures for the notice of intent to recall.”
Mullin said his group plans to serve Blain, either in person or by Certified Mail, with the notice of intention to circulate a recall petition after March 17.
The city clerk will then there are at least 60 signatures on the notice of intent. Then the group will publish the notice of intent in a newspaper and present to the city clerk proof of publishing along with a draft of the petition.
After Blain has been served he has seven days to answer and that answer would be included in the petition, Mullin said.
Their goal is to collect signatures from at least 25 percent of the 9,675 voters in District 2, or the equivalent of at least 2,419 signatures, Mullin said. The group has 90 days to collect signatures. If they meet their goal with enough verified signatures, he said voters could decide whether to recall Blain likely in a special election.
Couvrette said during the public comment portion of the meeting that he has been ed by families who say they are “fearful and feel threatened” by Blain. Couvrette said he has heard Blain has gone door-to-door to explain his political opinions and that he will fix problems in Poway.
“Not until their husband shows up do you back down from your aggressiveness,” Couvrette said during the meeting while Blain was absent from his seat. “I’m not asking you to resign. I’m telling you to resign.”
