MORGANTON, N.C. — After a man was given a year to gather enough signatures on a petition against Mayor Mel Cohen, the matter closed Friday at 5 p.m.
The City Council voted unanimously last year to change the way it charges utility deposits and Aziz Omer didn’t agree with the charges.
Omer was given a year to gather collect enough signatures and present his petition in order to be certified.
Election rules require 25 percent of the number of qualified registered voters to sign the petition. Omer did not make the deadline Friday.
Mayor Cohen was happy that Omer’s effort failed and that the city would be spared a $16,000 expense to conduct a recall election.
Cohen said, “Of course I’m happy that things turned out this way. This chapter is now closed and I can focus all my energy, as I have always done, on serving the citizens of Morganton. I want to thank the citizens for their confidence and trust and I pledge to continue to work hard to make Morganton a great place to live, work and play.”
