Vidalia chief 'glad' recall effort over posted Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 @ 1:22 pm  E-mail Story |  Print Story  A petition to recall Vidalia Police Chief Arthur Lewis failed to acquire the required number of signatures by its deadline on Monday. The petition needed 33 1/3 percent of qualified electors, or 1,174 signatures. According to a press release from "The Recall Committee," the petition was short 204 signatures. "I am glad it's over with," Lewis said. "It didn't really bother me, but I did want to know what I did to bring this on. I have a job to do and I never wavered in my job, even serving the people who participated in the petition." The deadline for any recall petition is 180 days after being filed to the Louisiana Secretary of State's office. The petition was filed on July 17. Filing paperwork for the recall were Anthony Scott Cupit, chairman, 1111 Palm Street, Vidalia, and Martha Maxine Lashute, vice-chairman, 1226 Apple St., Vidalia. "We thank everyone for their participation in the recall effort," The Recall Committee said through a press release. "Even though we came up short by 204 signatures, we feel good about what we accomplished. The information we were able to make public has made the people more aware and watchful of what is going on in their police department. This effort puts officials on notice that the public is watching and if necessary a new petition can and will be started." For the full story, subscribe to the The Concordia Sentinel's NEW E-Edition!