Five Coquille city councilors must have breathed sighs of relief last night, after surviving a recall attempt launched by a local political action group.

According to Coos County Elections Deputy Debbie Heller, there were not sufficient yes votes cast to recall councilors Kathy Hagen, Mollie Anderson, E.N. "Corky" Daniels, Fran Capehart and Loran Wiese, in the special election that saw a 50-percent voter turnout. (See sidebar, Page A8.) Councilor Jan Torbeck and Mayor Steve Britton were not on the recall ballot.

"I really think this is a positive thing for the city," said Wiese after the votes were tallied. "I hope the Concerned Citizens of Coquille don't lose their enthusiasm for Coquille. I would implore them to get involved in committees and meetings so we know what's on their minds and can then approach things from a proactive standpoint."

He added that he felt the recall election could have been avoided if those upset with the council had gotten more involved. People don't show up for meetings or give input, he said, then when the council makes an unpopular decision, angry citizens launch a recall.

"They just need to show up for these meetings, so decisions aren't made in a vacuum," Wiese said.

The recall attempt was launched after the council in July approved sewer and water rate increases. City Manager Terence O'Connor said the increases - almost 100 percent for sewer and 50 percent for water - were necessary for the city to be eligible for grants and low-interest loans to build a new sewage treatment plant and upgrade the water plant.

In June, a mutual agreement order was signed with the Department of Environmental Quality to put the city on a timeline to build the sewer plant or face severe fines. The city's sewage-treatment plant has been violating DEQ permits for 12 years, but because regulations kept changing, an enforcement order was never implemented, according to O'Connor.

If the city doesn't comply with DEQ mandates, O'Connor said, the agency could have the new sewage-treatment plant built at a significantly higher cost.

Councilors have said they understand the public's frustration with the rate increases, but say their hands were tied because of the DEQ mandate.

Daniels said he feels the council is properly addressing the needed improvements to the water and sewer treatment plants.

"The actions we have taken and the system we have now for the improvements is the best way to go for the city," Daniels said.

Daniels added that he is pleased that none of the councilors were recalled.

"I'm a big believer in the ballot box and would like to thank all the voters for turning out," he said.

Anderson agreed.

"I think we're doing the job we need to do," she added. "We don't always do it perfectly - nobody does, but we're doing the best we can. The projects need to get done and we'll made sure the public is aware of what's going on."

Mayor Steve Britton also seemed relieved by the election results. The city now needs to put the election behind it and get on with business, he said.

"My hopes are that all seven of us can now get focused on representing the city and get our great little city on track to not only survive, but to thrive," Britton said.

Britton said he was pleased with the voter turnout, which he said was high for a special election. He also encouraged citizen involvement in community issues.

"Regardless of how you voted, the important thing is you got involved," Britton said. "Now we can get focused on business and we have a lot of business to do."

Although the recall attempt was unsuccessful, members of the Concerned Citizens of Coquille believe the effort sent an important message to members of the council.

"I think we accomplished quite a bit," said Chairman Mike Cook. "We gave it to the people to decide and in every case, more than 40 percent voted to recall. I think that's quite a signal that people aren't happy with what's going on. And I'm pleased with the turnout; at least people are getting involved."

Cook has maintained throughout the campaign that the issue wasn't personal. He said he simply didn't agree with the decisions that were made and the election results confirmed that he is not alone in his opinion.

"The City Council desperately needs to look at the issues of water and sewer rates and at the city charter," Cook said. "The CCC feels there were more economical ways to have clean water going in and out of the city and the DEQ shouldn't be the final word. The DEQ just gave Portland a 20-year extension to fix their sewage problems, so certainly they'd give a small town like Coquille an extension."

Cook said a campaign is now being planned to circulate a petition to force the City Council to roll back water and sewer rates and to change the city charter so any future rate increases must be approved by voters.

Steve Lyons, owner of Fast Mart and co-chairman of the CCC, agreed that the recall election wasn't personal. He said he would have preferred to put an initiative before voters to change the charter and reduce water and sewer rates to 2000 levels, but felt some in the CCC had other agendas.

"My only concern was with water and sewer rates," Lyons said. "The rates are astronomical and people on fixed incomes can't afford them. I have nothing personal against anybody and if my brother or best friend were on the council, I would have voted to them out too. I just don't want to pay any more taxes or user fees."

Cook and Lyons said they plan on working together in the future to affect change in the city.

"I'll still be in their face," Cook said. "I won't stand by and say this is it. I still think there needs to be change and I'm happy to help the councilors in any way I can."