Petition Demands Town Vote

Three Black Diamond residents yesterday went to court demanding that their mayor andcouncil call for an election to determine whether the township should be dissolved andbecome a part of unincorporated King County.

Superior Court Commissioner Robert Dixon, in turn, ordered that either the election becalled by Nov. 19 or that Mayor Gomer Evans and five town councilmen appear in courton that date to explain why not.

More than 300 signatures representing a majority of registered voters in the former coalmining town of South King County have petitioned for an election calling fordisincorporation.

The petition campaign was organized by the Committee for Black Diamond VotersRights and spearheaded by Irene Shay.

Mrs. Shay, Tom Erath and George Franchini filed the request asking that a judge compelMayor Evans and town Councilmen Larry Hawthorne, Louis Zumek, Joseph Dal Santo,Sid Bergstrom and Joseph Wilkening to hold the election.

All signatures on the petitions had been certified by the county elections departmentearlier this fall, but the council voted to dismiss the petitions last month.

Franchini said last night "there were lots of reasons" why petitions wanted todisincorporate including costs of running the town, water rates and management byBlack Diamond's elected officials.

"They do anything they darned please," Franchini said.