Gluckstadt rejects marijuana petition
GLUCKSTADT — Aldermen rejected a petition to force a vote on marijuana because there weren’t enough proper signatures.
Mayor Walter Morrison and aldermen discussed the petition during their Oct. 11 meeting.
The 122-page petition, which had 769 signatures, was delivered to Gluckstadt City Hall on Sept. 9. After review by City Clerk Lindsay Kellum, the city determined 406 signatures were verified, with the other 363 signatures being disqualified for reasons such as duplicate signatures and some petitioners not being qualified electors of the city.
“When the petition was delivered to us, that began a process where the city had to validate the signatures on the petition,” Morrison said. “The petitioners were required to obtain 20% of the signatures of the registered voters within the City of Gluckstadt to force an election. Mrs. Kellum was tasked with trying to authenticate and verify the signatures.”
According to Kellum, of the 406 verified signatures, only 32 were attached to a complete petition page, whereas the remaining appeared proper but weren’t on a complete page.
“A jurisdictional issue the city is faced with is whether or not the petitions specifically identify what is being asked of the city to do,” Morrison said. “Under law, petitions clearly have to state the language and intent of the petitioners. There is a question on whether or not the petitions are essentially proper.”
Morrison read from a page of the petition, which stated that an election should be called on whether or not the cultivation, processing, sale, and distribution of medical cannabis be permitted.
Gluckstadt City Attorney John Scanlan said the board was faced with two factual issues.
“One is the number of signatures separate and apart from the form of the petition, which lands you at 406,” Scanlan said. “So, you would need to adjudicate whether you accept those signatures. Secondarily, you have to adjudicate whether the petition is in proper form. You cannot call an election unless those facts are adjudicated.”
The board voted to accept the 32 signatures verified on the complete petition page.
Morrison then called for a second vote on if the petitions were in proper form and were clear on what they wanted the city to do.
“What are we supposed to do?” Morrison asked. “Are we supposed to have an election on every aspect of medical marijuana? Are we supposed to have an election on the sale of it? Or only the cultivation of it? The processing of it? The petitioners need to articulate to us their clear intentions.”
The board voted unanimously that the petitions were not in proper form.