GRAND JUNCTION — City of Grand Junction and most Mesa County employees are allowed to sign petitions to get Mesa County Commissioner-hopeful Jim Doody and Dave Kearsley onto the ballot.

Confusion about that matter has halted some city employees from signing Doody’s petition, said Gay Hammer, who is helping with Doody’s campaign and circulating petitions.

“This keeps popping up. Not every day, but it’s a nuisance factor,” Hammer said.

Employees have been especially cautious in some cases because they know the fact that they signed the petition will not be kept secret.

“Some have expressed fear there might be retribution if they sign it because once I turn it in, it becomes public record,” Doody said.

Doody, who has run into people unsure if they could sign his position “once in awhile,” said he cleared up the issue with City Attorney John Shaver. Shaver told him city employees can sign any petition not related to a city election issue as long as it’s not signed on company time.

The county tells employees signing petitions “needs to take place on off hours and they can’t use county property or identify themselves as county employees” while doing anything political. County Clerk and Recorder Janice Rich added she’d prefer county employees that plan to help with this year’s elections not sign petitions, but “that’s not for me to decide.”

State, federal and local government employees are all allowed to sign nominating petitions under the Hatch Act. Federal employees prohibited from partisan political activity are not allowed to circulate nominating petitions.

Kearsley said he has not run into any problems similar to Doody’s.

Reach Emily Anderson at eanderson@gjfreepress.com.