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Show Court Dismisses petition Against Centerville Mayor By GARY R. BLODGETT Clipper News Editor rENTERVILLE Second District Court Judge Rodney Page drilled that a petition filed by 18 Centerville residents seeking he dismissal of Mayor Neil Blackburn be dismissed. THE DISMISSAL decision was reached after a study of the Piition by the Davis County Attorney's Office showed "the Stion appeared to be without merit." County Attorney Loren D. Martin wrote Judge Page stating that a staff study showed "no substantive evidence to prove that either a high (major) crime or a misdemeanor (minor offense) had occurred." AS A RESULT, Mayor Blackburn called a special meeting last nicht (Tuesday) with the petitioners to make public the fact that the petition had been dismissed. "I want to meet them face to face and to leave no question whatsoever in their minds that these were trumped up charges aeainst me, something that should never have been allowed to be f made public," said Mayor Blackburn. (BECAUSE OF the meeting being held after Clipper deadline, results of the meeting will be published in next Wednesday's P The petition was filed by Robert McClain last April and it carried the names of 17 other petitioners. ' MAYOR BLACKBURN said he was appalled at the way allega- lions can be made about a person without any substanting facts ; and these accusations can be made public. : "I never had any question but what the complaint would be : dismissed, but it's sad to think that things like this can be publi- cized without any recourse from the person being attacked," the : mayor said. ; HE EMPHASIZED that the suit (charges against him) were i "false claims" and this has prompted him to consider a class ,; action (suit) against the petitioners. 1 He said this was the primary reason he wanted to meet ' 'face to face" with the accusers before any legal action might be taken. "1 FEEL that some of the petitioners may have been misled-' misled-' even deceived by the person who prepared the charges and were not fully aware of what they were signing," the mayor said. The complaint filed in Second District Court last April lists 10 allegations charging the mayor with "betrayal of trust" and violation viola-tion of city ordinances. THE COUNTY Attorney's Office who investigated the allega-; allega-; tions concluded there had been no wrongdoings. Most of the petitioners had complained to the mayor and other city officials about construction of Deuel Creek debris basin and the city's involvement in the project. |