Update: A news conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday to “announce the formation of a committee to explore the possibility of a petition campaign to recall Mayor Jim Suttle.”  

According to the Mayor’s spokeswoman Catherine Mello, “Mayor Suttle remains focused on doing his job as mayor and will not be distracted by political theater.”

Nebraska Watchdog will continue to cover this developing story.

Nebraska Watchdog has learned that at least part of Jim Cleary’s decision to work for the recall of Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle was made by the numbers, polling numbers.

On Monday Nebraska Watchdog reported exclusively that Cleary, who was one of the key players in the successful 1987 recall of former Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle, is now working behind the scenes with a group of Omahans who are in the early stages of formulating a strategy to recall Suttle.

Nebraska Watchdog is told that an early August poll was a key factor in persuading Cleary to get involved. According to the poll of 400 likely Omaha voters, 70% said the city was on the wrong track and 67% disapproved of the way Suttle, who was elected in May of 2009, is handling his job.

Those polled also strongly disagreed with Suttle’s 2011 budget plan which initially included a 9 percent property tax increase and a 4 percent restaurant tax. On Tuesday the City Council lowered the property tax increase to about 5 percent, trimmed the restaurant tax to 2.5 percent, and found an additional $13.5 million in budget cuts. In a statement issued following the Council’s decision the Mayor would not say if he intends to pull out his veto pen. ”I will review (the Council’s) changes to the recommended budget and will respond within an appropriate timeframe, “said Suttle.

According to several sources the recall group is expected to announce Thursday that it is forming an exploratory committee which will begin laying the groundwork for its anti-Suttle campaign.

That committee will examine the pros and cons of a recall effort, prior to launching an official petition drive. In order to recall Suttle, the Mayor’s opponents would first have to acquire the signatures of 26,642 registered voters in the City of Omaha.  Those signatures must be gathered within 30 days. Sources close to the recall tell Nebraska Watchdog that a petition drive might be timed to coincide with Election Day November 2nd. That would allow those gathering the signatures to set up operations near polling places in Omaha where registered voters are casting their ballots. 

Nebraska Watchdog contacted Cleary to ask him about several of these items but Cleary refused to comment.

Several years after the Boyle recall Cleary became a professional political consultant. Among his 50 or so clients in Nebraska, Arizona, and Colorado is former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub who lost to Suttle last year. Cleary also worked  for Daub at City Hall, serving as Parks Director.

One attempt to recall Suttle has already failed. After filing a recall affidavit with the Douglas County Election Commission on July 21, Anthony FastHorse announced earlier this month he was not going ahead with his effort to throw Suttle out of office. According to FastHorse he, “didn’t have enough help” for a successful petition drive.

In a statement defending himself from FastHorse, the Mayor said he should not be recalled because he’s running an open City Hall and moving Omaha forward “despite difficult financial challenges.” Suttle noted that since taking office in June of 2009 he held 14 public meetings ”providing taxpayers unprecedented opportunity for direct input on City budgets…that provide efficient and essential City services.”

Editor’s note: to subscribe at no cost to News Updates from Nebraska Watchdog, click here

Reported by Joe Jordan, joe@nebraskawatchdog.org