Group drops recall effort against mayor

Efforts to recall Mayor Steve Prysunka have ended, according to a statement from recall spokesperson Don McConachie. Instead, he and others in the group will focus on October's municipal election when three borough assembly seats will be on the ballot.

Recall efforts against the mayor began around the beginning of the year.

According to the advocates, Prysunka lead the assembly to violate local and state laws with the passage of a community mask mandate during a quickly called Nov. 12 meeting.

The city first rejected the recall petition as premature; recall efforts can only begin after the first 120 days of an elected official's term.

Prysunka took office late last fall.

The group refiled in early February. The city rejected the petition on the grounds that the group's allegations did not "rise to the level of 'misconduct or incompetence'" as required by law, adding that "the allegations contained in the application do not

include any statements that Mayor Prysunka has demonstrated lack of ability, legal qualifications, or fitness to discharge his required duties."

The recall group had 30 days to appeal the decision in state court. However, McConachie wrote last week that they decided not to pursue a legal fight. The court system is backed up due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote, and they would not get a hearing on the matter until sometime next year.

While they will not pursue further attempts to recall the mayor, he said they still believe they are in the right.

"Much research has been completed in the endeavor to recall," McConachie wrote. "City ordinances have been checked, actions at meetings have been reviewed, and ... we as a group feel that our actions are justified."