Two leaders of Republican Dennis Richardson's failed gubernatorial campaign last fall have filed a prospective petition with the state seeking to launch a recall of Gov. John Kitzhaber.

It's the second recall effort filed this week, yet potentially the more viable. Richardson has a vast email database that could help achieve the 220,000 signatures necessary to get a recall on the ballot.

Still, the question remains as to when exactly such an effort can begin.

State laws provide the governor - and other elected positions - six months before any recall effort can begin. What's at question for Kitzhaber is whether that timeline starts with his third term, which began Jan. 1, 2011, or his fourth, for which he was sworn in on Jan. 12.

Tony Green, spokesman for Secretary of State Kate Brown, said her office is reviewing the question.

Charlie Pearce, Richardson's campaign manager, and Jacob Daniels, the campaign's attorney, filed paperwork with the Oregon Secretary of State's Office to create a political action committee called Oregonians for Public Integrity.

Document: Prospective petition filing

Pearce said the intent is for the committee to organize a recall effort against Kitzhaber.

Whenever the Secretary of State's Office rules a petition can launch, he said, "we're moving forward - whether that's five months from now or tomorrow."

Pearce's is the second petition filed for a recall effort.

Oregon City resident Arin Marcus, who said he is involved with a group called Safer Oregon PAC, filed a petition calling for Kitzhaber's recall earlier this week.

Marcus told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he had few resources to mount a recall effort.

To put the issue before voters, sponsors would have to collect at least 220,000 signatures in 90 days.

"We don't think (the other recall effort) is germane to the main factors that the public and the press are discussing in regards to the pay-to-play scandal involving Gov. John Kitzhaber," Pearce said.

"Our petition lists a variety of things," he said, "from the use of Mahonia Hall to the governor's former campaign consultant setting up a six-figure salary for the first lady."

As the Republican's former campaign manager, Pearce likely has access to to Richardson's vast voter email list, as well as contacts for the campaign's volunteers.

At one count, the longtime lawmaker from Central Point had the email addresses for 475,477 Oregonians.

Specifically the prospective petition calls out the following reasons for demanding a recall:

"Facilitating the first lady's use of the governor's mansion in order for his household to make financial gains.

"Allowing his campaign consultants to arrange six figure incomes for the first lady with organizations with business before the state and then hiring those consultants as six-figure employees of Oregon State government.

"Traveling to Bhutan to facilitate a contract for the first lady that financially benefitted his household.

"Withholding public records requests from being disclosed which are relevant to this pay to play scandal.

"Filing fraudulent ethics forms with state government that hid household income from sources with business before the state.

"While the ongoing civil and criminal investigations into this matter play out, the citizens of Oregon must be allowed to exercise their political rights to recall government officials who no longer hold the public's trust."

-- Laura Gunderson

503-221-8378

@lgunderson