By Vern Hee – Special to the Pahrump Valley Times

Papers were filed in Nye County on Wednesday launching an effort to recall the county’s embattled tax assessor.

Stephanie Lopez, organizer of the effort to recall Shirley Matson, says a kickoff party will take place on Saturday.

The recall drive will officially start with the event taking place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Romero’s Restaurant on Humahuaca Drive, across from Saitta-Trudeau.

Lopez said organizers need to get 3,700 signatures, but are shooting for 5,000 or more. All those wishing to sign the petition to recall Matson must be registered voters who voted in the last election. The group has 90 days to complete the task.

Lopez said, “Since the last meeting, where we had just 35 people show up, I now have 50 to 60 people willing to help. I think this will be easier than I thought. After this weekend we will be across from Our Lady of the Valley Church on private property signing petitions.”

Nye County Clerk Sandra Merlino said that after the group has gathered the needed signatures, she will be tasked with verification of each and every one of them.

“I’ll have 30 days to call for a special election. Shirley Matson would be the only one in the election, unless there is a person who gets 3,700 signatures to be on that ballot.”

Lopez announced the kick-off event on her Facebook page, Positive Pahrump. She also distributed a press release summarizing her account of events that led to the recall.

“Around March 2011, Matson made communications containing racially charged and insensitive comments concerning the immigration status of workers at the County jail construction site, the nature of which were wholly inappropriate and volatile and caused public backlash,’ the press statement says. “She used the county email system under the county seal in her official capacity to make these communications. These communications and other statements to defend her actions have served to distract citizens from addressing the real problems with illegal immigration because the focus has shifted to outrageous generalizations such as those made by her.”

The statement continues by describing the uproar among county officials over Matson’s behavior.

“She was formally reprimanded for negatively impacting the public’s perception of our county. Her actions make her unfit for public office and have eroded the public trust and confidence in her office. Her refusal to accept responsibility for her conduct make this recall necessary to remove her from public service in order to restore dignity to the office and county as a whole,” the statement says.

After the press release, Lopez went on a Latino news station in Las Vegas. On station Univision, she talked with Diego Arias about her recall plans. Univision came out to Pahrump to interview Lopez at her home.

Former Nye County Recorder Byron Foster was present for this interview and was there to help Lopez.

“I got into this because of Shirley’s comments. If she had just apologized, I understand what it’s like to be an elected official. The comments were just so unprofessional,” remarked Foster.

Foster said whether or not this is an easy task depends upon whether Matson can rally her supporters. He agrees her comments have even inflamed some Republicans who supported her in the last election. Foster is a Republican and says he’s ashamed by Matson’s actions.

If any volunteers want to help Lopez and her cause, she can be reached at 775-727-8229 or through Facebook.