Colorado: Article attacking recall makes great case for recall

This article has a few facts wrong (11 states have the political recall, not 19). But in complaining about the recall, he notes this:

"The recall movement was started by a plumber who borrowed money from his grandmother to gin up the campaign against Giron."

I don't believe that this recall was the purely grassroots fight that the pro-recall side has tried to portray (there is a strong political advantage to that perception), and I think if anyone unravels the spending we will find a very different picture than what we've heard. The author notes the NRA's heavy spending in the recall, but the above statement is puzzling. Isn't it a positive for the political system that ordinary citizens can spark change?