District 2 Councilmember Tony Blain is the focus of a special election this Nov. 4 in Poway.
Voters in that district have a choice — recall to remove him from office, or keep him on the council.
Blain has only been in office since December, and since his swearing in, he’s been accused of vote trading, and threatening and harassing city staffers and other officials.
Blain was censured by the Poway City Council in February. That’s an official statement of disapproval, and it's the first time the city has ever taken this step with an elected official in its nearly 45-year history.
In April, the city also took an unprecedented step of suing Blain to force him to comply with the California Public Records Act, accusing him of destroying records.
Plus, Blain is under investigation by the San Diego County District Attorney's office.
In August, the City Council voted to hold a special municipal election in November after enough signatures from District 2 residents were collected to place the question on the ballot.
Blain's campaign manager Steve Marietti said in an email the councilmember “is currently deployed overseas” on active duty as a full colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Marietti denied the claims of vote trading, and threatening or harassing staff.
He said, “Tony has not been charged with any crime, and we do not anticipate that he will be charged with any crime.”
Marietti also said while they respect the voters and the process, they believe “the recall is unnecessary and distracts from the real work” of the city.
Only voters living in Poway's District 2 are eligible to vote in the Nov. 4 contest.
If a simple majority of residents vote “no,” the recall has failed, and Blain will remain in office.
But if a simple majority of residents vote “yes,” he will be removed from office, and the position will remain vacant until it’s filled.
Poway’s District 2 is one of four council districts in the city, which has a population of just under 50,000 people.
