FERRIDAY — A Ferriday resident has started a petition to recall Mayor Sherrie Jacobs.

Charles Johnson said the town needs a mayor in office who will care about the people and the town.

“She promised us a lot of things just to get in office,” Johnson said. “The things she was going to do, perform for us, at the end of the day, she has done nothing at all.

“The dog shelter is awesome, but the community just went south.”

Jacobs is involved with Concordia PAWS, a Ferriday animal shelter.

Johnson said he traveled to Baton Rouge Monday to get the recall forms.

“I started my petition on Monday morning,” Johnson said. “Around 10 a.m., I posted on Facebook, and I went out and did some walking throughout town to get people to sign my petition.”

However, Johnson said when he returned home Monday, he was arrested.

Johnson was arrested for two bench warrants for failure to appear. Johnson said the incident was two traffic violations in Vidalia in 2014.

He contends the timing of the arrests is connected to his petition.

Johnson was booked into the Concordia Parish jail and was released on a $600 bond.

Vidalia Police Chief Joey Merrill said the officer who made the arrest was in Ferriday working with the Concordia Parish narcotics task force for another reason. As part of the task force, the officer is deputized throughout the parish to make arrests and knew Johnson had warrants.

Merrill said no conspiracy exists; the department is just trying to serve its outstanding warrants.

“We are trying to go back and get all of these old warrants taken care of,” Merrill said. “We are going to do our job.”

Johnson said he had approximately 400 of the 700 signatures required. Johnson said he is going for 1,000 signatures and he is aiming to complete that by Nov. 3.

Johnson said some of his concerns are that the town is full of trash, when people call the mayor she is never available and Police Chief Arthur Lewis has not been allowed to run the police station because the mayor does.

“She is making poor decisions on the way money is spent in the town,” Johnson said. “There should still be money in there from when Mayor (Gene) Allen left, but the town is broke.”

Jacobs did not comment specifically on the petition.

“This is America where people have freedom of expression,” Jacobs said. “The Lord put me here, and I will be here until I have served His purpose.”

If successful, the petition would ultimately end up in Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office, and he would set a recall election.

If the recall attempt succeeds at the ballot box, Jacobs would be removed from office. She would have nine days after the election to contest the vote.