The Citizens for Responsible Government's quest to recall Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is nearing its conclusion as the group must submit collected signatures to city hall by Dec. 9.

To successfully recall the mayor, the group must collect 34,520 signatures in one month but the group does not have an official count of signatures gathered thus far, according to Heather Mees, head of CRG's Madison branch.

"I really think we're going to have to wait and see with how many signatures we get," Mees said. "I think our collectors are waiting to turn their signatures in until the last day."

Mees said she has been encouraged by the progress of the effort so far and that it is "about time" upset citizens express their displeasure with the mayor.

"Everything's going really well, and the response and the calls we've received have been great," she said. "I know we've got people out collecting signatures and I know they're doing everything they can to get the job done."

According to Mees, CRG is seeking to expose flaws in the government and "awake the sleeping giant" of angry Madison citizens.

"I am also really optimistic that we will be able to bring to light some issues that citizens may not have been aware of," she added.

The Madison CRG has cited a few specific issues, including the smoking ban and efforts for a local minimum wage, in its reasoning for the recall effort.

Throughout the first few weeks of the petitioning, Cieslewicz has been steadfast in his assertion that he has done nothing to warrant a recall. At a Nov. 9 "Cookies and Milk" event sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Community Service Committee, he defended his actions during his term in office.

"A recall is designed to address situations where there has been malfeasance in the office," Cieslewicz said. "I don't think I've really done anything to justify a recall. I'll probably run for reelection, and at that point, citizens can decide to kick me out."

However, Mees said Cieslewicz has been irresponsible and unsupportive of Madison businesses.

"There are a lot of people who are upset by what the mayor has done, especially businesses," she said. "[The mayor] is so outrageously socialist, and we need to send a message to him."

The mayor addressed the specific complaints brought by the CRG at the Nov. 9 event, claiming his actions have been successful.

According to Cieslewicz, despite the anti-business claims of the CRG, 70 percent of citizens are in support of the smoking ban. The group is also concerned with the minimum wage, but Cieslewicz pointed out that the state "finally caught up to us" and Madison leveraged a statewide increase.

Cieslewicz maintained he has been pro-business throughout his time in office, however, he conceded it is impossible to please everyone, which is one of the most difficult aspects of being the mayor of a city.

"You can't duck or avoid issues and negative sentiment tends to build up over time. People remember how you've hurt them in some way, not how you've helped them," Cieslewicz said. "It's definitely an occupational hazard walking the line of being a progressive mayor and pro-business at the same time."