“It just reinforces that we’re doing the right thing,” said Greta Perry, referring to the latest media coverage involving Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price.

Perry, along with a dozen others, is leading a recall effort against Price.

Their endeavor began in early August after a 30-page report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office was released detailing many unscrupulous activities involving Price and other city employees. The report alleged Price misused city funds, racking thousands of dollars on his city-issued credit card for food and outings with no receipts to substantiate the purchases.

It also alleged Price, among other officials, accepted extravagant gifts from city vendors.

Investigations into the findings of the audit are currently ongoing on both the state and federal level.

Media personnel and Mandeville residents also blasted Price after several Causeway police officers lost their jobs for giving Price preferential treatment when he was stopped for smashing through a bridge tollgate and driving without headlights, apparently intoxicated.

Price was later cited and fined for the incident.

The latest media blitz involves the vehicle Price has been using since surrendering his city-owned vehicle and enrolling in a 12-week counseling program.

According to Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission, the white suburban Price has been driving is registered to Don McMath, a local real estate developer who was cited in the auditor’s report for providing Price with trips on his private plane.

Although McMath is not a vendor of the city, the city has annexed several of his properties into the corporate limits, according to the auditor’s report.

Accepting gifts from anyone doing business with the city is an ethics violation, Goyeneche said. But Price admitted he’s renting the vehicle from his longtime friend for $200 per month and will continue doing so until he gets his city vehicle back.

With this latest coverage, Perry feels the “tide has changed.”

“Most people are more than willing to sign it (the petition) at this point. Less and less people are resisting each week,” she said.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, recall petitioners need 33.3 percent of the registered voters, or in Mandeville’s case, approximately 3,000 people, to sign the petition.

The clock is ticking — they’re only allotted 180 days to do it.

So far, Perry said they’ve collected a quarter of the signatures needed, but she hopes their Web site, www.mandevillerecall.blogspot.com, and their upcoming efforts will help them acquire more signatures.

“Nov. 1 we’re going to have a massive push where we all meet and start combing the neighborhoods in groups and knocking them out one by one,” Perry said.

“If he would have come out and said ‘I’m wrong, I’m made a mistake,’ it would have been better for me,” Mandeville resident Crystal Younger said. “People are very forgiving and probably would forgive him if he said he made a mistake.”

So far, door knocking seems to be the most effective method, Perry said.

After the required amount of signatures is received, the petitions will be sent to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar’s office, where they will be individually checked and counted.

If all is well, the document will be sent to the governor’s office, and a special recall election will take place and residents will vote to keep Price or oust him from office.

Another election will be scheduled to vote someone else into office. Price is allowed to run for his seat again.

This is Price’s last term in office. It ends in 2012.

The last recall election to take place was in Folsom, where all three aldermen were recalled. One was later voted back in.

Perry said the recall effort is not about political aspirations, it’s simply a “grassroots effort of trying to right a wrong, to exercise our power as voters,” she said.

“How much more abuse of power can Mayor Price exhibit?” Mandeville resident Christian Legarde asked. “I would sign the petition.”