GOLD HILL — Three City Council members facing recall are claiming election fraud as ballots hit the mail today for the May 23 special election.

Donna Silva, Gus Wolf and Jan Fish say they believe some signatures for the recall petitions were collected under false pretenses and not by the man who signed the certification statement.

"I was told the petition circulator physically hid the recall information from view," said Fish.

Wolf and Fish said they have two handwritten letters from four community members stating the recall petition was presented as a "pro-police" petition — not as a recall effort.

Two of the letter writers are residents Michael and Cathy Farley.

"We signed the petition inadvertently because we didn't know what we were doing," said Michael Farley. "We were asked to sign by a gentleman who said he was a retired police officer from Ventura County, Calif."

Farley said the man identified himself as someone other than Allan Scott Baker, leader of the recall effort, though Farley could not remember the name.

The man was pleasant in his discourse, Farley said, but he should have "communicated the other side of the story — he did not."

"I think that was important information," Farley said.

Wolf and Fish have refused to release the identity of the other letter writers. "There's a climate of fear in Gold Hill regarding the police department," said Wolf. "I understand their fears. I've heard of retaliation. Hell, I've experienced it myself. What do you think this recall is about?"

Baker, who instigated a successful recall against former councilwoman Christine Alford in 2004, did not return repeated phone calls and messages Wednesday and Thursday from the Mail Tribune.

Baker previously said he instigated the recall against Silva, Wolf and Fish because they failed to support the police department. He signed the certification statements saying he physically witnessed the signatures on each petition page, said Gold Hill City Recorder Mary Goddard.

Petitions warn that "falsely signing this statement may result in conviction of a felony with a fine of up to $100,000 and/or prison for up to five years."

Wolf said the two letters will be sent to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office for investigation.

"I think election fraud subverts the very idea of democracy," said Wolf.

Jackson County Clerk Kathy Beckett said any investigation would occur after the election and may or may not invalidate the results.

Regardless of the veracity of the fraud claims, the recall election will continue as scheduled, said Beckett. The requisite 61 petition signatures against each council member — necessary to force the election — were collected, returned to the city and verified by the county elections office, she said.

"I have never known the state to overturn an election in my 25 years in a case like this," said Beckett.

The council members insist the recall is political retribution for their attempts to rein in Police Chief Dean Muchow's spending and demand department accountability.

Restricted to a 200-word defense of their positions on the ballot pamphlet, the trio gave a more detailed counterpoint to claims they are "anti-police" in a citywide mailer they sent out on Thursday, Wolf said.

The mailer alleges Muchow used city credit cards to buy himself and others lunch 40 times in a four-month period; created a funding crisis in the department by failing to follow council directives to place a five-year police levy renewal on the November 2005 ballot; faces felony theft and criminal trespass charges in Union his former place of employment; and has incurred almost $1,200 in cell phone bills during a recent three-month period.

Muchow on Thursday declined to comment on the council members' recall or the specifics of their allegations.

"We'll just see how it goes," said Muchow. "I'm here to serve the people of Gold Hill and we'll let the city deal with the politics. I wish we didn't have these politics."

Despite political wrangling in City Hall, business owners seem to be taking the recall election in stride.

Business owner and 25-year resident Rob Lowe was not approached to sign the petitions, he said. Lowe, a former councilman, does not support recall elections "for philosophical reasons."

"My preference is that people speak through the normal electoral process unless it's a proven instance of flat-out criminal activity," said Lowe. "And I'm not hearing that."

All but two of the council seats are up for re-election in November. Council members Wolf, Silva, Mike Hicks and Tom Daily's terms expire in December along with Mayor Sherry Young's. Fish and Kathleen Price's terms expire in 2008.

Ron Benoist, owner of Gold Hill Gas, said he hadn't heard about the recall until approached by a council member. But he's seen plenty of recalls during his 27 years as a business owner in Gold Hill.

"I haven't cared for any of them," Benoist said.

The city has better ways to spend $700 — the cost of the recall, he said. "I think recalls are a waste of money," said Benoist. "Let the people decide in a regular election."

Price and Young were clear about their reasons for signing the petitions against all three council members. Price, newly appointed by Young as the council police liaison, said she supports the recall. It will give the citizens a chance to decide who they want on the City Council — and who they don't, Price said.

"And what direction they want their city to grow in," Price said.

Young has made similar comments in the Rogue River Press, but refused comment to the Tribune. Councilmen Hicks and Daily did not sign the petitions.