Chair of Nebraska village board faces recall petition, which he says is baseless

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A recall election is in the works in a tiny Nebraska village.

This week, a resident of Gresham filed a petition with the York County Clerk’s Office to recall Village Board Chairman Tony Cain.

“Mr. Cain has treated citizens unfairly,” Daniel Otto said in his statement. “Has overstepped his bounds on issues. Really needs to get both sides of an issue. Needs to treat all people with respect and listen to them. Keep the calm on village issues.”

Otto accused Cain of acting “on his own feelings” before going to the board.

SEE ALSO: ‘I hope I can continue the job’: York County commissioner responds to recall effort

On Thursday, Cain issued a formal response, which said the petition was without merit.

“This recall appears rooted in personal disappointment over an unsuccessful bid for village employment, not in facts,” he said. “I have acted within my authority, followed all laws and procedures, and served our citizens faithfully.”

Cain also said that he listens to all perspectives and that “Disagreement is not disrespect.”

Gresham is a village of about 220 people about 20 miles northeast of York.

Otto has 30 days to circulate the petition and must gather 36 signatures from village voters to trigger a recall election.

That is 45% of the total votes cast for that village board seat in the last election.