"I'm not sure why Daniel would be willing to be used by these people outside of Daniel to fight their fight," Clyde said.

And Sellers said the residents who circulated the petition did it for "little, selfish designs."

Clyde said he expects to sue the town of Daniel if the petition is eventually accepted.

Though Daniel Mayor Mike Duggin has received a letter from Thomas Boyle, another of Sellers' attorneys, stating the town's deadline to reject the annexation petition was Monday, a search of court records showed no lawsuit had been filed Monday.

A phone call to Sellers' public relations firm Monday after the town council's decision was not returned.

Monday's decision was just the first step in a monthlong process of checking the annexation documents for accuracy, certifying the petition, weighing any protests to annexation and eventually holding a public hearing and final vote on annexation.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com