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Some politicians' terms of office are determined by their stands on war, abortion or gun contro

For two City Council members, the hot-button issue is a little less worldly: speed humps.

The 7-inch-high asphalt humps are the basis of a recall effort under way for Councilor Don Harris and set up a standoff between Councilor Debbie O'Malley and a bulldozer.

More than 20 outraged residents gathered on Campbell Road in the North Valley on June 13 after the city Municipal Development Department started ripping out humps installed in recent weeks.

Some residents, including O'Malley, stood in front of the bulldozer and demanded the city workers to stop. They did.

"Without the speed humps, somebody is going to get hurt - someone is going to get killed," resident Greg Thomson said.

The city has listened for now. The new speed humps remain on the half-mile stretch of Campbell west of Rio Grande Boulevard.

O'Malley said the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority built the humps after the road was renovated. Campbell had been closed for months as workers installed a major cross-river water line for the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project.

The authority had an obligation to replace the speed-impeding slopes - which cost about $1,200 each to install - because they were there before construction began.

But the city had its own plans. Mark Motsko, spokesman for the Municipal Development Department, said removing the humps had been part of a plan approved in 2004 by the area's neighborhood association. The plan called for other speed-reducing measures.

But O'Malley said Campbell residents this spring signed a petition saying they wanted the speed humps back after the water-line renovation was complete.

It was unclear who ordered the work to begin on June 13.

And what's next for the road is in question. O'Malley and some Campbell residents said on June 13 they fear the bulldozers will return.

Motsko said the city will "go back to the drawing board and see what neighbors want."

Harris has been in the middle of a speed-hump war in his district.

He didn't want to take sides, he said, so he hired a consultant to look into the long-term effects of the speed humps in the Four Hills neighborhood. Harris said he wants the report to speak for itself.

"Even though the issue seems trivial from a third party's perspective, for the people who live there, it's a very important issue," Harris said.

So far, the study shows the humps will prevent no deaths in the next 20 years, Harris said. Another report is expected to be released next week, he said.

Four Hills resident Rebecca Loring set up a Web site dedicated to the removal of 21 speed humps in the area (Dumpthehumps.com).

Loring said Harris was elected in 2005 because he vowed to get rid of the humps.

"They better be gone by the next election, or he will be gone," Loring said. "People are very angry with him."

But residents who want the humps to stay are also irate. Earlier this month, one constituent filed paperwork to recall Harris. The complaint stated that Harris was throwing away tax dollars on the speed-hump consultant.

Councilor Michael Cadigan said speed humps sound great until they are installed. Then, he said, people don't want them. It's a Catch-22.

"Seventy percent of the people want them in," he said, "and after they are put in, 60 percent of them want them out."

Councilor Brad Winter said speed humps aren't a problem in his district because he lets neighborhood associations decide what's best for their residents.

"It seems like whenever politics are played in getting speed humps, it doesn't work," Winter said. "When it's good government and people in neighborhoods get to decide themselves, they don't have have any problems."

Harris said what he does next will determine his future.

"When I ran for City Council, people warned me that the issues are very small, very local and very emotional," Harris said. "And I'm finding that to be true. And yes, this can make a difference in the next election."