Citizens For A Strong Lakewood Submit Petitions For Referendum

On Thursday, January 21, 2016 Citizens for a Strong Lakewood turned in petitions for a referendum that would allow the citizens of Lakewood to decide if they want to vote for or against closing Lakewood Hospital. If they agree with City Council they would vote for Issue 24. If they disagree with City Council and want to save Lakewood Hospital they would vote against Issue 24.

A press conference was held in front of City Hall and about 20 members of Citizens for a Strong Lakewood presented 3468 signatures to Mary Hagan, the Clerk of Council. She counted 212 petitions and then gave them to Kevin Butler, the Lakewood Law Director. Mr. Butler held the petitions for 7 days and then sent them to the Board of Elections on Friday, January 29 for verification of the signatures.

If an ordinance is passed by City Council and citizens disagree with the action taken by council, they have forty days to submit petitions that would place the ordinance on the ballot to allow the citizens to vote on the issue. These petitions are required to have signatures from registered voters in Lakewood that number at least 15% of the citizens who voted for a mayoral candidate during the last election.

According to the vote count from the November, 2015 election, 2101 signatures were required. Citizens for a Strong Lakewood gathered 3468 signatures in three weeks. Many more signatures over the required number are necessary because only registered voters in Lakewood are eligible to sign and not all people who signed the petition live and vote in Lakewood.

At the City Council meeting on February 1, Kevin Young representing Citizens for a Strong Lakewood, requested that City Council schedule a Special Meeting to move Issue 24 along so as to meet the Board of Elections February 9th deadline for inclusion on the March 15th ballot.

Council will consider the request once the BOE has certified signatures on the petitions.