Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- After months organizing the effort, disgruntled residents began an application for recall proceedings against Gwinnett Chairman Charles Bannister.

Randy DeVault, who withdrew applications against Bannister and two other commissioners last December, filed the paperwork a day after commissioners reignited angry protesters by approving a controversial trash collection plan. His last effort began a week after commissioners voted to raise taxes.

According to state law, DeVault has 15 days to gather 100 signatures for the first step of the process. If the application is verified, he has another 45 days to collect signatures from 30 percent of the electorate, or 127,000 registered voters.

"We have several hundred people who are already volunteering their time," said DeVault, who registered his campaign as an LLC this week.

Later this month, he plans to announce hours and locations where people can come to sign a petition at one of eight sites across the county. DeVault said he plans to use churches that also act as polling precincts, which will be manned by volunteers.

DeVault said he is pursuing the recall because of Bannister's "spend, spend attitude."

Bannister, who has been involved in politics for three decades, including time as Lilburn's mayor and nearly two decades in the General Assembly, said his feelings aren't hurt by the effort.

But he added that he has no authority alone in the county, as any action requires three votes from the Board of Commissioners.

"It's not that anything has been done wrong. People are upset, period," he said, adding that the garbage proposal has a long list of issues including state mandates and several lawsuits. "We'll deal with (the petition) as it comes forward."