Oil and gas development near neighborhoods is a national stage, but in Broomfield all politics is local. Opponents are collecting signatures to recall Councilman Greg Stokes in a special election this summer, even though he is term-limited from running again in November.

The statewide industry-friendly coalition Vital for Colorado sent out a press release Tuesday pointing out that the recall would be a waste of thousands of taxpayer dollars for an election and creating a “chilling effect” on those who might be willing to serve in local public office.

“Coloradans are tired of the divisive politics and we should be encouraging greater civic engagement, not chasing away our best and brightest,” Loren Furman, vice president of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry and a Vital for Colorado board member, said in a statement.

Stokes was one of the six council members who voted to kill a six-month moratorium on wells in Colorado.

A group called Broomfield Clean Air and Water has encouraged Broomfield residents to recall council members who don’t vote to block wells, as the group find appropriate.

Folks who filed to collect petition signatures for a recall allege Stokes failed to disclose his investments in oil and gas interests. The claim he used his public office to promote the industry “to the detriment of Broomfield’s health, safety, property values, and tax revenue.”

Stokes says that’s not so. The investments his family has in mutual funds are not tied to drillers in Broomfield and amount to less than the standard for similar portfolios, he told the Broomfield Enterprise.

Moreover, he’s mostly on the side of those who want to limit wells.

“I have said on numerous occasions that if Broomfield had a choice, we would not be placing any wells in our community,” Stokes told the local paper.

The Enterprise said recallers need to collect 1,150 signatures from registered voters in Ward 4 by May 2.

“Activists with Broomfield Clean Air and Water (BCAW) have rallied for months to stop responsible energy development in Broomfield,” Vital for Colorado said in a statement. “Their aggressive tactics have included pressuring local charities to return donations from energy operator Extraction Oil and Gas and threatening recalls for any elected officials who oppose a six-month energy moratorium.”

On its Facebook page Tuesday night, Boulder Clean Air and Water said Stokes had been evasive in his answers about his oil and gas investments.

“It is important to note that there are many ways to invest,” the group said.