Petitioners seeking to recall six of seven members of Golden City Council, including the Mayor, failed to submit the necessary signatures on the day of their deadline because of a groundswell of local opposition to the effort, which included organizing a quick campaign to educate residents about the negative impacts of such an action.

“Golden was successful in its efforts to stop this madness because our community banded together,” said Saoirse Charis-Graves, a member of Citizens for Golden, which formed to stop the recall effort and promote community involvement among city residents. “In unison, we let it be known that we address our differences through open and honest dialogue, respect for diverse points of view, and working together to tackle the challenges of the future.”

Petitions were filed in December to begin gathering signatures and were due in late February. In a controversial move, professional signature gatherers were hired to circulate the petitions that would have recalled all but one of the current city council members. Citizens for Golden, in their effort to defeat the recall attempt, were able to mobilize hundreds of volunteers to write letters, comment in public forums, deliver literature, write checks, and contact voters about the recall attempt.

“The right to recall is a legitimate way for voters to respond to extreme circumstances, like significant wrongdoing or criminal behavior,” said Pamela Gould, Golden resident and co-founder of Citizens for Golden. “It is not intended to punish officials with whom we disagree or to burden the community with the expense and distraction of endless campaigning.”

“Citizens for Golden is the 500 people who signed up to help, the hundreds of citizens from every neighborhood and every political perspective who supported us in so many ways,” said Matt Burde, community leader and member of Citizens for Golden. “We used the principles of good community organizing, but we could not have succeeded without the broad and determined backing of our community.”

Members of Citizens for Golden report they will carry on, promoting positive opportunities to engage the Golden community after a brief rest from the recall campaign. Future activities will be posted at their website, www.citizensforgolden.org.