Caldwell group seeks to recall 2 City Council members. What organizers contend

A new effort to recall two Caldwell City Council members is underway, with organizers beginning to gather signatures this week.

The Canyon County Clerk’s Office verified the recall petitions against Mike Dittenber and Scott Tilmant on Monday. That started a five-day period for supporters to collect enough signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. Organizers must gather 5,183 signatures for each councilman and submit them by 5 p.m. July 6.

Caldwell resident Jeanne Cridebring is leading the effort, supported by a group of 10 residents. Cridebring told the Statesman on Thursday that the recall centers on concerns that the councilmembers have not followed through on campaign promises, particularly regarding public safety and responsiveness to constituents.

Supporters of the recall have pointed to several council decisions, but the approval of a downtown railroad quiet-zone project that would restrict train-horn use at seven railroad crossings was the final straw, according to Cridebring.

Some residents have questioned moving forward with the project amid a projected $1.2 million budget shortfall, a number quoted by Caldwell Mayor Eric Phillips in public forums. The city has budgeted $400,000 for the project, though a contractor’s estimate came in lower.

Tilmant, who assumed office in January, seemed to disregard Mayor Phillips’s plea for a more-thorough evaluation of the safety implications of the quiet zone, abruptly calling for a vote on the project. This caught the attention of several people in the audience, according to Cridebring, who attended.

“[Tilmant] said three things were important to him during his run for City Council: safety, listening to his constituents, and keeping government small,” Cridebring told the Statesman in a phone call. “So far he has violated every single one of those campaign promises.”

Idaho law requires an elected official to be in office for 90 days before a recall can be sought by voters, a requirement Tilmant fulfilled April 5.

Dittenber, whose been on the City Council since 2024, has said that the quiet zone issue “has created divisions in this wonderful city, which saddens me.” Supporters of the recall effort against him cite instances where Dittenber has referred to unhappy constituents as “keyboard warriors” and “cowards.” During an exchange between Dittenber and Cridebring at a council meeting in February 2025, Dittenber said he is “required” by law to approve all the developments suggested to the council.

In an email to the mayor and council, Cridebring asked anyone on the email to cite the law the councilmember described. Eventually, former mayor Jarom Wagoner cited a section of the Regulatory Takings Act, which establishes a process for state agencies and local governments to evaluate if administrative actions take private property without due process.

The statute does not require any elected officials to go along with recommendations made to them by consultants or the public, according to a review by the Statesman.

Dittenber previously said his support for the quiet zone was based on input from engineers and safety experts. Tilmant has said that the planned improvements would increase safety and that they received federal approval. Even after a quiet zone is established, a train engineer can still use its horn to alert nearby drivers, pedestrians, trespassers or other trains, according to Union Pacific Rail, which operates in the proposed quiet zone.

The recall effort follows a failed recall attempt last year targeting multiple council members and Wagoner. Organizers of this year’s campaign say that its narrower focus on Dittenber and Tilmant may be more effective.

Dittenber and Tilmant did not immediately reply to calls seeking comment on Thursday.