Mandeville citizens are taking actions to remove Mayor Eddie Price from office.

“I would hope they’re judging me based on what I’ve done for Mandeville over these 20-something years,” Price said in response.

Jacques Berry with the Secretary of State’s office announced Monday that Mandeville resident Gerald O’Connor, along with Rodney Boudreaux, filed the required paperwork officially initiating the recall process. This was somewhat surprising to Price, who said the emails and phone calls he’s been receiving have all been supportive messages. Now the clock is ticking.

O’Connor and Boudreaux have 180 days, or until late next February, to collect 2,664 signatures, 33.3 percent of the registered active voters, from Mandeville residents using whatever soliciting method they choose, including the Internet, Berry said.

Residents who agree to sign will have to print their name and address on the petition next to their signature.

Once the required signatures are collected, the document is submitted to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar’s office, where the data will be individually counted and checked for accuracy.

If the registrar’s office finds enough signatures, the document would be sent to the governor, who would then call a recall election for Price.

Mandeville residents would then have the opportunity to vote to keep Price in office. If he is ousted, a special election would be held and a new mayor would be elected, Berry said, adding Price could run for the position again.

“I hope the people of Mandeville would consider my 28 years of service,” Price said. “Let the agencies doing the investigating complete their work before deciding to sign anything.”

With hurricane season revving up, Price said he’s not going to let the recall effort distract him from his duties.

“We are working to come up with new procedures and policies to prevent any problems we had in the past from recurring,” Price said.

The latest recall election to occur in Louisiana took place in Folsom last year when the three aldermen were recalled.

One later won his seat back.