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Organizer vows political action after petitions ignored, urges voters to hold council accountable
Summary
Hugh Bassett, an organizer, said petitions collecting 12,000 and later 8,000 signatures were being ignored and announced a shift from moral appeals to political action aimed at elections and voting math to hold council members accountable.
Hugh Bassett, identifying himself as an organizer and longtime activist, criticized the council for ignoring petitions he said collected 12,000 signatures initially and 8,000 later. He said the group had followed process and rules but felt unheard and would now pursue political avenues: "So what we're gonna start doing is that we're gonna start talking to you in a language that you can understand, political," Bassett said, emphasizing petition totals and turnout math.
Bassett framed the group's strategy as electoral pressure: he cited registered voter totals in the city and compared the petition numbers with low vote totals for council members, saying the group planned to use its petition figures to influence future elections. His remarks were an explicit warning that organized petitioners would translate their opposition into political action if the council did not address their concerns.
