ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — A recall petition is officially underway to remove St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christoper Tape from office. Organizers filed the paperwork to begin a recall petition in Baton Rouge Tuesday.
With that paperwork filed, organizers walked outside at the Secretary of State’s Office, pulled out a binder from the trunk of a car and became the first people to officially sign that petition.
"Some local businesses have said leave a binder here, we will be what we're calling a 'hub'. We'll be a hub for you. Put it on the website," said Noble-Bates Young with Family First St. Tammany.
That effort started after exclusive reports from WWL Louisiana brought to light decades-old child sexual assault claims against Dr. Christoper Tape, who became coroner after he ran unopposed back in the Fall.
His controversial past, including decades-old child sexual assault claims, has led to calls for his resignation, but Tape has refused.
Organizers of this recall petition now have six months to collect about 38,000 signatures of registered voters in St. Tammany Parish.
"You know there's a group I'm trying to meet with this week, they have 60 members. If every member goes home with a sheet of paper and each sheet of paper requires 15 signatures, that should take no time to get 15 signatures," Young said.
The exact number will be determined when the Secretary of State’s Office looks at the number of registered voters reflected as of today. Organizers said they’ve been planning the next steps, which include lots of volunteer efforts and businesses to meet the threshold and deadline.
If enough valid signatures are gathered and submitted by Mid-June, a special recall election would happen next Spring. Organizers hope to beat that deadline and have more than signatures than needed.
"They all come back with 900 signatures, that's almost 1,000 right there."
Tape responded to the recall with “I certainly respect the right of the people to do that, but I think if I'm given opportunity to do the job I've been elected to do, the voters will be satisfied," he said in a statement sent from the coroner's office.
Here is where you can go to sign the petition:
- Covington: Downtown Drugs
- Madisonville: Small Talk Salon
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