North Carolina: State rules that Ronda does not possess recall

The state board of elections has ruled that the town of Ronda does not have the authority to recall an elected official. Petitioners had handed in 76 signatures calling for the recall of Mayor Victor Varela. It sounds like the charter adoption was not handed that well:

Portions of the charter, with dates of 1917 and 1920, are handwritten. According to article V, page 225-226 of the town of Ronda Charter 1917, recall is allowed when 25 percent of the voters at the last municipal election sign a petition calling for the recall. The signatures must be filed with the clerk and must contain a general statement of the ground for which the removal is sought.

Varela, who is in his second term as mayor, said state officials say the town, does not have the authority to recall an elected town official. He says that a closer look at the charter demonstrates that a particular chapter or version for recalling elected officials was never chosen in 1920 when the charter was adopted.

He says the charter does not specify removal of public officers. The charter includes three plans or forms of government and no plan was selected.