Petition seeks mayor's ouster over new medical marijuana law

CLIFF VILLAGE, Mo. | The mayor of a tiny Joplin suburb says he'll stay put, despite calls for his resignation.

A group of Cliff Village residents alleges that a local ordinance legalizing medical marijuana was adopted without a legal mandate. They believe Mayor Joe Blundell misrepresented the critical vote of one board member.

Blundell said he was presented Wednesday night with a petition bearing 18 signatures, calling for his immediate resignation. Blundell said an ordinance passed Feb. 1 by a 3-2 vote is strictly symbolic, designed to show grass-roots support for Missouri to legalize medical marijuana as 13 other states have.

Petition-signers contend that Blundell did not have the backing of village officials for the ordinance, and that he was using the community to advance a personal agenda.