BILLINGS— The final 18 signatures on the petition to recall the mayor of Laurel were approved by Yellowstone County election officials Friday afternoon.
The petition came about after several Laurel residents were upset by Mayor Dave Waggoner’s actions when the state chose a site just outside Laurel city limits for a new state forensic mental health facility.
Watch the report below:
Related: 'Inappropriate location': Laurel City Council hears from crowd about forensic facility concerns
Waggoner will have five days to decide whether to resign. If he chooses to stay in office, a recall election will be held in September.
“A recall election, we estimate for the city of Laurel to be about $7,000,” said Dayna Causby, Yellowstone County election administrator.
Waggoner declined an interview with MTN News, instead providing a extensive statement addressed to Laurel residents. You can read Waggoner’s full statement here.
“There is misinformation and falsehood floating around online and in people’s minds, which when combined with hidden agendas, creates a very one-sided picture. Facts need to be set straight,” he wrote in the statement.
The Montana Board of Investments (BOI) and Department of Public Health and Human Services announced in November that they had chosen Laurel as the site for the facility.
Public records show Waggoner and City Chief Administrative Officer Kurt Markegard had sporadic conversations with the state BOI as early as July, leading up to the November announcement.
Related: Laurel mayor breaks silence on forensic mental health facility, recall petition
Waggoner argued that exposing the state’s plans to residents early on would have posed a legal risk for the city.
“We had no way of knowing what the residents would want, and we could not even ask due to the risk of legal action in case of a negative vote,” he added in the statement.
Jennifer Lorenz, part of Laurel C.A.R.E.D., a Laurel group that has opposed the building of the facility in their town, argued there has been a lack of transparency from the mayor.
“There's not a lot of transparency that's been happening in the city of Laurel and a lot of lack of professionalism,” said Lorenz. “We want somebody that we can trust.”
Lorenz turned in the remaining signatures at the Yellowstone County election office Friday afternoon.
“Laurelites are scared. You know, they really feel like they need somebody to step up, and that's why they committed to this,” she said.
“For the most part… we haven't had to approach people. They've come to approach us,” she added about gathering signatures.
Elsewhere in Montana, Kalispell residents are also pushing a recall petition for their mayor. Causby said it is uncommon to see two recall petitions in the state at the same time.
“It's really unusual to have even one recall petition floating around. And so, we've made it to two in Montana, one in Kalispell, and then one in Laurel,” said Causby.
Nationwide, recall petitions increased from 2024 to 2025. According to Ballotpedia, 280 recall efforts were launched last year, with 12% of targeted officials removed from office.
