California: Recall effort against Simi Valley City Council member suspended

The recall effort against Simi Valley City Council member Ruth Luevanos has been suspended over what the leaders say is concerns over cost. Petitioners would need about 11,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Luevanos is facing the threat after she claimed that there was a federal ICE agents raid at a supermarket.

North Dakota: Two Williams School Board Members recalls appear to be ousted in close unofficial results

Williams School Board President Penny Soiseth and Vice President Curt Sullivan both appear to have lost their recall vote, with Soiseth ousted by Sarah Williams 310-309, with a third candidate Selena Gustaveson getting 109 (and 7 write-in votes). Sullivan lost to Chris Jundt 434-399. With such a close vote, it is possible that it will be overturned.

The issue was complaints about transparency and a push for $12 million to expanded Williston High School. 

Massachusetts: More info on Westford School Board Members Recall Effort

Some more info on the Westford School Board recall against members Avery Adam, Chris Sanders, Gloria Miller, Alicia Mallon, MingQuan Zheng and Megan Eckroth.  The recall is over a vote to not renew a longtime Superintendent contract. A seventh member, Sean Kelly, voted in favor of renewing the contract.

Apparently, Eckroth and Miller are up for reelection and won't be facing a recall vote. Petitioners need about 1600 signatures each to get on the ballot.

Massachusetts: Signatures verified against two Kingston Selectmen

Signatures have been certified for the recall of Kingston Selectmen Chairman Josh Warren and Selectman Elaine Fiore. Petitioners handed in 2200 signatures and got 2073 valid. They needed 1987. The recall effort is over claims of a verbal aggressive attack on Selectman Jessica Kramer by a town employee and Warren's refusal to put the employee on leave. There was a counter claim that petitioners are upset about taxes and are looking for them to fire the Town Administrator.

Petitioners need approximately 1987 signatures (20% of registered voters) to get on the ballot.

A third Selectman, Sandy MacFarlane, is up for an election, so she will not be facing a recall effort.

Kingston had a recall in 1991, with Board of Health member Larry Slot being kicked out.

Canada: Alberta Recall law may be moving, though discussion of tabling the legislation

Alberta's UCP now appears to be moving forward with a plan to adopt a recall law, though it may table the legislation for the fall term. This comes after UCP MLA Mark Smith introduced a private members' recall bill for the Alberta Legislature.

Smith had previously introduced the bill in 2016 as a Wildrose MLA. The recall proposal would oust the MLA if petitioners get 40% of eligible voters signatures in a 60 day period. There is a long grace period -- 18 months after a general election and 6 months before.

This article notes that Alberta had a recall law in the 1930s, passed by the Social Credit government in 1936 (needing 66.6% of voter signatures), though the law was repealed in 1937 when a campaign was expected to work against Premier William Aberhart's Okotos-High River. There have been 8 attempts to add a recall law since 1993. More on that here. 

Florida: Miami Commissioners look to change law to grant 1 year waiting period after a first recall vote fails

Miami Commissioners are looking to tighten the city's recall law, increasing the waiting period before a second recall can start to one year after the first effort fails. Many jurisdictions only allow one recall per term. There is currently a recall effort being launched against Commissioner Joe Carollo.

Massachusetts: Town Clerk not overseeing signature certification against two Kingston Selectmen to avoid conflict of interest claims

Town Clerk Paul Gallagher has stepped away from the certification process of the recall against  Kingston Selectmen Chairman Josh Warren and Selectman Elaine Fiore.  Petitioners have handed in 2200 signatures in the recalls and Gallagher claims that he wants to avoid any conflict of interest issues.

The recall effort is over claims of a verbal aggressive attack on Selectman Jessica Kramer by a town employee and Warren's refusal to put the employee on leave. Petitioners are upset about taxes and are looking for them to fire the Town Administrator.

Petitioners need approximately 1987 signatures (20% of registered voters) to get on the ballot.

A third Selectman, Sandy MacFarlane, is up for an election, so she will not be facing a recall effort.

Kingston had a recall in 1991, with Board of Health member Larry Slot being kicked out.

Colorado River Indian Tribes Vice Chairman facing recall efforts

Colorado River Indian Tribes Vice Chairman Keith Moses is facing a recall effort after his second DUI and claims that he misappropriated tribal funds for a motel and apartment for his brother.

Moses and other members previously faced a recall effort over the issue is the leasing of water allotment, which petitioners claim was done in secret.

Wisconsin: Former State Senator Luther Olsen, survivor of 2011 recall vote, retiring

State Senator Luther Olsen (R), who survived a recall vote in 2011, is not seeking reelection.

Alaska: Signature gathering begins against Governor; Pro-Governor group drops part in Supreme Court case

Some major developments that suggests that the recall effort may be able clear the Alaska Supreme Court and get a recall on the ballot against Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R).

Signature booklets were handed out by the Division of Elections to allow signatures to be gathered against the Governor. This followed the Alaska Supreme Court ruling overturning a stay to prevent signatures collection from beginning.

At the same time, Stand Tall with Mike, the pro-Dunleavy independent expenditure group, has withdrawn its appeal and seems to be dropping out from the court case against the recall. The case will still go on, as the Alaska Attorney General is appealing a ruling that says that the recall can continue. However, the fact that the big anti-recall group is moving away from the courts and into the realm of public opinion suggests that they may believe that the court case will not go their way.

It could be that the group is dropping out to try to at least ensure that the recall is not delayed too much and instead takes place at the same time as the general election rather than as a special election. There is a belief, that incumbents are disproportionately disadvantaged by special elections and will do better during a general election. I long thought this as well, but my research suggests that this is not the case and incumbents actually do worse when a recall takes place on a General Election or Primary Day. That said, the logic of trying to have a recall on the General Election date is clearly sound. Alaska voters will undoubtedly vote Republican by double digits in the presidential election (with the exception of Johnson in 1964, the state has never voted for a Democrat). This could only help Dunleavy in warding off a recall vote.

The recall is over major spending cuts, delays in appointing judges misusing state funds and mistakenly vetoing funds. Alaska is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a showing of cause is needed (though the state courts has taken a lenient view of the the cause requirement in past instances).

Petitioners needed to first get 28,501 signatures. If the decision is upheld, they would need 71,252 signatures to get to the ballot. Note that of the 49,006 signatures that they've already received, a third were by Democrats. If Dunleavy were recalled, there would not be a replacement race. Instead, the Lieutenant Governor (a Republican) would automatically be moved up to Governor.

Non-Recall Op-ed on a Brokered Democratic Convention

While this is not recall related, I wanted to expand a little on a op-ed I wrote for the Hill that examines the potential of a Brokered Democratic Convention and how the changes that have been made since the last one to go to more than one ballot (Adlai Stevenson back in 1952) could greatly impact the race and any dealmaking for the nomination.

While we are now seeing quite a bit of coverage on a Brokered Convention, it generally ignores a major fact -- the delegates are actual people who are not bound to support anyone. They can switch their vote on at any time and owe no allegiance to any candidate or political boss. Furthermore, as oppose to in the past, a great many of these delegates are probably not political professionals.  

The delegates of the conventions of yore were frequently political professionals who may have owed their jobs to the political bosses of the state. Many of those people are now Superdelegates, who can’t vote until a second ballot. Back then, delegates were also limited in who they can support by the Unit Rule, which forced the delegates of the state to vote as one (that rule is now banned).  

Not so today – see this story about some of Senator Bernie Sanders’ NY delegates and how they are drawn from other walks of life. Many of them may solely have loyalty to the candidate, or may not have even that.

What this may mean is that there is an “all bets are off” nature to a contested convention. It could be that the prevailing thought that deals can be made by simply trading delegates between candidates is wishful thinking, as delegates can simply not following the leader. The delegates themselves will have minds of their own.

Consider this – there are almost four thousand delegates, not including the Superdelegates. This is more than three times the amount from 1952. By comparison, there are only a maximum of 538 Electors in the Electoral College, where there would presumably be better vetting than the thousands of delegates in a convention. And in the Electoral College, the candidates seem to be having an increasingly hard time keeping those electors in line. In 2016, 10 electors tried to cast ballots for someone other than who they were elected to vote for.

What will happen? Who knows, but the Democrats better start planning ahead.  

Oregon: Newberg Mayor and City Councilor facing recall efforts

Newberg Mayor Rick Rogers and City Councilor Stephanie Findley are facing recall efforts. Councilmember Gene Piros was going to be targeted, but he has served less than 6 months in office.

The recall appears to be over complaints about sexual harassment, racial discrimination and federal whistle blower complaints. They also are calling for the firing the Interim City Manager and City Attorney.

Petitioners need 1495 signatures by May 4.

Update: The recall effort has failed with no signatures submitted.

Massachusetts: Signatures handed in against two Kingston Selectmen

Petitioners have handed in 2200 signatures in the recalls against Kingston Selectmen Chairman Josh Warren and Selectman Elaine Fiore are facing recall effort over claims of a verbal aggressive attack on Selectman Jessica Kramer by a town employee and Warren's refusal to put the employee on leave. Petitioners are upset about taxes and are looking for them to fire the Town Administrator.

Petitioners need approximately 1987 signatures (20% of registered voters) to get on the ballot.

A third Selectman, Sandy MacFarlane, is up for an election, so she will not be facing a recall effort.

Kingston had a recall in 1991, with Board of Health member Larry Slot being kicked out.

West Virginia: Clarksburg charter amendment proposes recall law

Clarksburg City Council is voting on whether to allow a vote on whether the city should adopt a recall law.

Wisconsin: Door County Supervisor recall winner is facing the same candidate in a new election

In what looks like a rerun of the November 19 recall, Door County Supervisor Roy Englebert, who survived the recall vote winning 53.85%, will once again face Forestville Trustee Lora Jorgensen (who got 33% n the recall).

The recall was a primary, though since Englebert topped 50%, he won outright. The recall was over a plan to draw down the Forestville Dam Mill Pond to dry out contaminated sediment from the pond. Opponents claim it will hurt the fish stock. The recall was the first against a supervisor in the county since 2002.

California: Anaheim Mayor facing recall effort

Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu is facing a recall effort over what seems like the kitchen sink group of complaints, though the major one seems to be rent control increases and proposed changes. There are also complaints about Angel Stadium negotiations. A notice was filed on February 7. Petitioners would need more than 14000 signatures to get on the ballot.

Alaska: State Supreme Court allows signature gathering to begin in Governor recall effort; Court still waiting to hear case

The Alaska Supreme Court has now allowed petitioners to begin collecting signatures in the recall of  Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R). The ruling comes after Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth issued a stay on his ruling holding that petitioners have adequate grounds to seek the recall of the Governor. That decision overturned the Division of Elections and Attorney General's positions that the recall did not hit the malfeasance standard requirement in Alaska.

The Supreme Court decision means that the petitioners can start collecting while the Supreme Court gets set to weigh in on the ruling.

 Aarseth previously issues a lifted his decision that halted the collection of signatures until the Alaska Supreme Court ruled on the case, then lifted the stay and said that the stay was handed down inadvertently.

The recall is over major spending cuts, delays in appointing judges misusing state funds and mistakenly vetoing funds. Alaska is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a showing of cause is needed (though the state courts has taken a lenient view of the the cause requirement in past instances).

Petitioners needed to first get 28,501 signatures. If the decision is upheld, they would need 71,252 signatures to get to the ballot. Note that of the 49,006 signatures that they've already received, a third were by Democrats.

California: Look at campaign finance reports on Santa Cruz Council recall

Here's a look at the effort to get the recall against Santa Cruz Councilmen Drew Glover and Chris Krohn on the ballot -- which is going to be on the March 3 primary ballot.

The issue's focus has been over allegations of a focus on a homeless camp and at city meetings. This article looks at the group that lead the recall, Santa Cruz Together and Santa Cruz United, who spent over $100,000 to get the recall on the ballot. The article notes that Santa Cruz Together were focused on removing Measure M, a rent control initiative.

New Jersey: Mahwah Mayor facing calls for resignation

Mahwah Mayor John Roth, who won office in a recall against Mayor Bill Laforet in 2018, is now facing calls to resign, including by the Recall Campaign Committee of 2018. Roth admitted to drunk driving at a recent party, as well as hitting a parked car on election night. A recall hasn't started yet.

Taiwan: Petitioners gather over 270K signatures in Kaohsiung Mayor recall

Petitioners now claim 270,639 signatures have been gathered for the recall of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yuto (who recently lost the presidential race), which could be enough to get the recall on the ballot.

Petitioners needed to get signatures of 1% of the city, and have gotten that. They had 28,560 verified and the needed 22,814. Now, petitioners need 10% of eligible voters to sign (about 230,000).

Han was the Kuomintang Presidential candidate, and was being threatened with a recall following flooding in the town (though presumably this may be part of the presidential political wrangling). There is an absentee voter provision -- 25% of eligible voters must cast ballots for the recall to count.

Massachusetts: Six Westford School Board Members facing recall efforts

Westford School Board members Avery Adam, Chris Sanders, Gloria Miller, Alicia Mallon, MingQuan Zheng and Megan Eckroth are facing a recall effort over a vote to not renew a longtime Superintendent contract. A seventh member, Sean Kelly, voted in favor of renewing the contract.

Here's some more info.

Nebraska: Bellevue City Councilwoman recall failed

The recall effort against Bellevue City Councilwoman Kathy Welch has failed, with petitioners not handing in signatures. The effort was led by Councilman Pat Shannon over a kitchen sink of claims, including that she doesn't live in the district. Shannon himself faced a recall effort in 2017 and has been criticized by various media outlets for chilling speech and preventing potential whistleblowers.

Petitioners needed 886 valid signatures  and claim to have gotten half.

Wisconsin: Ex-Senator running in 2020 trying to reverse recall vote from 2011

Former Senator Dan Kapanke (R), who lost his seat in a recall to current Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, has announced he will run against her again. Shilling faced Kapanke in 2016 and beat him again by 56 votes.

Idaho: Lincoln County Commissioners facing recall effort over vote on courthouse

Lincoln County Commissioners Rick Ellis and Roy Hubert are facing a recall effort over a vote to build a new courthouse rather than make the current one ADA compliant. A bond effort failed, because they did not get 2/3rds of the vote. Petitioners need 442 signatures to get on the ballot.

Florida: Sebastian City Council members facing recall effort

Sebastian City Council members Damien Gilliams and Pamela Parris are facing recall threats after a Facebook page has been started calling for their removal. The issue does not seem to be clear, though Gilliams claims that it is about the council's decision on Sugar Sand.

Update: The recall seem to also be about fights with the Mayor and other council members. Gillams and Parris notably voted against the hiring of a new city attorney. The recall (which can't start until they've been in office six months (which seems to be in May) would require about 1995 signatures.

Michigan: $97K raised in failed State Representative Inman recall effort

Campaign finance filings show that $97,131 was raised in the failed recall effort against Michigan State Representative Larry C. Inman (R).

Inman, who is term-limited, was found not guilty by a federal jury found of lying to federal authorities, but were hung on charges of attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe. Inman was accused of trying to get a bribe from a union group for a vote to repeal the state's prevailing wage law. Inman blamed an opiod addiction.

The recall effort led to a notably unanimous decision by the Michigan Supreme Court allowing a more lenient standard on recall petition language. The decision overturned lower court rulings, including by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which tossed out all the signatures. The petition language was originally approved, but the petitions that were printed out left out the word "right" in the sentence: attempted extortion under color of official right."

Petitioners handed in 11993 valid signatures, 208 less than the 12201 needed. Petitioners filed 13,871 signatures total.

California: Hesperia Mayor Pro Tem recall effort fails

The petitions to recall Hesperia City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Bill Holland has failed. The recall was over an investigation into a hazing incident at a high school, though this article notes that he has been a supporter of development interests and that may have caused issues. Councilman Jeremiah Brosowske is accused of being one of the supporters of the recall effort, and now he was threatened with a potential recall by a supporter of Holland.

Holland was originally elected in an at-large seat, but they changed the city to a district based system, which dropped the signature amount to one-fifth of what was previously needed.

Petitioners needed 1786 signatures. They handed in 1830, but only got 1168 valid signatures.

Nevada: Petitions taken out against Governor

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak (D) is facing a recall effort by a rural group called Fight for Nevada, attacking him on gun control, private well limits, DMV policy and an (apparently false) claim that he supports an income tax. The plan was announced last June, but petitions have now been taken out.

Petitioners would need 243,995 signatures in 90 days.

Petitioners would have to post a bond of pay for signature verification. Changes to the law also split the gathering period in two, and petitioners would have to hand in all signatures gathered in the first half (45 days) to be turned in soon after to be declared valid.

California: Calaveras County recall effort requires a do-over

A push to recall Calaveras Supervisor Benjamin Stopper must be restarted, as the notification was missing some information. The recall seems to be about the regulation of commercial cannabis.

Utah: Attempt to pass US Senate Recall law killed

The Utah legislative leaders have killed a bill that would have (theoretically) allowed a recall against US Senators, which was widely seen as targeting Senator Mitt Romney (R) over his vote to impeach Trump.

Arizona: Recall effort against Oro Valley Mayor and Vice Mayor dropped

The recall effort against Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield and Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett has been abandoned after the issues were apparently resolved. They were facing petitions over the plans for the town's El Conquistador Golf Club. This golf club was the source of a recall in 2014 (four officials survived a vote, though the four were all voted out in 2018). There were also complaints over the process for hiring a new police chief.

Petitioners need 3952 signatures for the mayor and 3668 for the vice mayor.

UK: Scottish Parliament considers adopting recall law

Scottish Parliament is now being called to consider adopting a recall law along the lines of the UK's (an official who is convicted of a crime with less than 12 months in prison can face a signature gathering effort -- over 12 months leads to an ouster).

The push comes from the news that former Finance Secretary Derek Mackay (SNP) has been accused of sending hundreds of online messages to a 16 year old boy. Mackay has been suspended by his party, but is still a member of Parliament. 

California: Redondo Beach Councilman fails to get on the ballot by 93 signatures

The recall attempt against Redondo Beach Councilman John Gran has failed, with petitioners missing the total by 93 signatures. The recall was started after switching Gran vote to cast one against a study to explore using the LA County Fire Department.

Petitioners would needed 2287 signatures to get on the ballot.

Oregon: Powers Mayor and City Councilor to face Recall Election in March

Petitioners have gotten enough signatures to get a recall on the ballot against Powers Mayor Robert Kohn and City Councilor James Clauson. The reason seems to be the firing of the former police chief. Petitioners needed 52 signatures (the town has 678 people) -- not clear how many they actually got. The recall is scheduled for March.

Alaska: Attorney General asks for expedited review of Gubernatorial Recall decision

Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson has filed for an expedited schedule for the review of the Superior Court decision to allow the recall of Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) to go forward.

Arizona: State Senator proposes new requirements for paid signature gatherers; petition language

Arizona State Senator David Gowan (R) has proposed a bill that adds new hurdles for recall petitions, requiring that paid gatherers (circulators) and gatherers from other states must first register with the secretary of state -- this bill is the same as requirements being put on initiative gatherers.

The bill also adds formatting language for the recall petitions, which then ties it to a strict compliance standard -- if gatherers don't meet the strict rules, the petitions get thrown out.

The strict compliance provision is pretty critical in Arizona. In 2011, during the recall against Senate Majority Leader Russell Pearce, the Arizona Supreme Court held that petitions should be judged liberally according to a substantial compliance standard and rejected a strict compliance rule. Pearce was ousted in the recall election.

Texas: Updates on the federal lawsuit from McKinney City Councilman stop May 2 recall vote

Further updates on the federal lawsuit by Councilman La'Shadion Shemwell to stop his May 2 recall election. Shemwell is claiming that the city council is unconstitutional because it lets the entire city vote in the recall.

Shemwell has been a controversial member of the council with complaints of violating ethics codes and making inflammatory statements and getting arrested repeatedly (one seemed to be for domestic violence), which he claimed occurred after he was racially profiled after refusing to sign two citations after he was pulled over for speeding last year. Shemwell has previously declared a "black state of emergency" in Texas.

McKinney approved an amendment to make recalls easier to get on the ballot earlier this year.

Update: Shemwell has dropped the suit

North Dakota: Burleigh County Commissioner facing recall effort over votes for refugee resettlement

Burleigh County Commissioner Kathleen Jones is facing a recall effort over her votes for refugee resettlement, though Jones says it is over her gender. Petitioners would need 11,848 signatures (25% of gubernatorial turnout in 2016). The commission approved (3-2 vote) to continue to allow the resettling of refugees in the county.

California: Santa Ana Council member gets enough signatures; Second effort seems to have stalled

Santa Ana Council members Cecilia Iglesias (R) is now facing a recall vote by a five signature margin. Petitioners handed in 16000 signatures, got 10,870 and needed 10865.

There was also an attempt to recall Councilman Juan Villegas (I), though that seems to have failed. The recall effort is backed by the police union, over their votes on how to spend a $25 million sales tax. The two voted to spend it on neighborhood improvements. The council approved a police raise.

Wyoming: New bill looks to add Recall Law for city officials

Wyoming Representative Bunky Loucks (R) has submitted a bill to allow recalls for city officials throughout the state. The bill seems to allow political recalls and would require 20% of the signatures of registered voters. Wyoming does have a recall law, but very few areas (if any) really allow it.

The bill seems to have come about after Mills Town Council decided to eliminate their fire department in 2019, a decision that was since walked back. There was an attempt to recall Mayor Seth Coleman.

The bill requires a two-thirds vote to be considered on the floor during a budget session.

Update: Here's another Wyoming local recall bill, this one with a 25% signature threshold.

Update 2: Here's another bill by Representative John Bear. 

Arizona: Graham County Clerk of the Superior Court likely facing May 19 recall election date

The recall of Graham County Clerk of the Superior Court Cindy Woodman (R) will go forward, with a likely date of May 19.

She is being recalled over complaints about her tenure, including high turnover, lack of knowledge and a court ruling that she was "derelict in her duties" due to evidence mishandling. Petitioners needed 2697 signatures.


Update: It is set for May 19.

Taiwan: Petitioners gather 117,000 signatures in Kaohsiung Mayor recall

Petitioners claim to have gotten 117,000 signatures in five days for the recall of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yuto (who recently lost the presidential race).

The recall only recently moved to the second stage. Petitioners needed to get signatures of 1% of the city, and have gotten that. They had 28,560 verified and the needed 22,814.

Now, petitioners need 10% of eligible voters to sign (about 230,000).

Han was the Kuomintang Presidential candidate, and was being threatened with a recall following flooding in the town (though presumably this may be part of the presidential political wrangling). There is an absentee voter provision -- 25% of eligible voters must cast ballots for the recall to count.

West Virginia: Petitions taken out against Fairmont Councilman for racist comments

Petitions have now been taken out against Fairmont Councilman David Kennedy following repeated comments alleged to be racist and derogatory against LGBTQ+ people, some in Facebook posts. Kennedy has been censured by the council (6-3 vote) and has faced calls for his resignation.

Petitioners had to redo the wording to get it approved. They will need 2461 signatures (20% of registered voters).

Texas: Leon Valley City Council schedules recall election for May 2

After some delay and a lawsuit, the City Council has finally scheduled the recall against Leon Valley Councilmembers Monica Alcocer and Donna Charles for May 2. The recall is over the vote to kick out Councilman Benny Martinez over sexual harassment complaint. Petitioners include two former council members and the Mayor Chris Riley.

Utah: Article in Utah Policy on the Recall of US Senators

Now that Senator Mitt Romney (R) has voted to convict President Trump in his impeachment trial, there has been some more discussion of the proposal by Utah State Representative Tim Quinn (R) to adopt a recall law in Utah just for US Senators. Note that Utah is currently one of 11 states that does not provide recalls at any level of government.

I look at this proposal and the history of recalls attempts against US Senators. The idea of a recall on the federal level was included in the Virginia (or Randolph) Plan that kickstarted the Constitutional Convention, but was quickly voted down. Check out the article for some details.

North Dakota: The 2nd part of the story of William Lemke, the only Attorney General to face a recall vote

The second part of the story of William Lemke, the North Dakota Attorney General who was removed in the 1921 recall race.

Lemke later was elected to Congress as a Republican and then ran for President in 1936 on the Union Party line, perhaps replacing his friend Senator Huey Long (who was killed in 1935). It's not clear that Long would have run.

Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Student Government President facing recall

UMass Student Government President Timothy Sullivan will face a recall vote on February 6.

California: Editorial opposes Foster City Vice Mayor recall

A San Mateo Daily Journal editorial opposed Foster City Vice Mayor Herb Perez recall effort. The recall claims that it is about complaints about his conduct and "pro development agenda." Perez claims the issue is housing.

The editorial notes that: "While there have been other recalls here and elsewhere that have not focused on ethical lapses or criminal behavior, typically one is not recalled for being mean...Recalls for personal disputes or for a disagreement over policy sets a dangerous precedent, and should be avoided."

Massachusetts: Two Kingston Selectmen facing recall effort

Kingston Selectmen Chairman Josh Warren and Selectman Elaine Fiore are facing recall effort over claims of a verbal aggressive attack on Selectman Jessica Kramer by a town employee and Warren's refusal to put the employee on leave. Petitioners are upset about taxes and are looking for them to fire the Town Administrator.

Petitioners need approximately 2000 signatures (20% of registered voters) to get on the ballot.

A third Selectman, Sandy MacFarlane, is up for an election, so she will not be facing a recall effort.

Kingston had a recall in 1991, with Board of Health member Larry Slot being kicked out.

Louisiana: Shreveport Councilwoman facing petitions over vote

Shreveport City Councilwoman LeVette Fuller is facing a recall following her vote to prevent a memorandum of understanding between Shreveport and Gateway Louisiana for the Cross-Bayou Point Development project. Pastor Linus Mayes is leading the recall effort, though no word yet on the amount signatures needed.

New Jersey: Galloway Township Councilman facing petitions over vote flip for mayor

Galloway Township Councilman Robert Maldonado (R, now unaffiliated) is facing petitions after he switched his vote for mayor from the sitting Republican Anthony Coppola to Democrat Jim Gorman and Deputy Mayor Mary Crawford. No word on how many signatures are needed.

Nebraska: Broken Bow Mayoral, who was ousted in Recall Election, convicted of assault

Broken Bow Mayor Jonathan Berghost, who was kicked out in a recall vote in January, 619-400, has been convicted on assault and abuse of power for allegedly threatening police officers. He faces up to a year in prison or a $1000 fine.

Florida: Former Democratic Party Chair leads effort for Miami Commissioner recall

Petitioners, including the former Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Juan Cuba is leading a petition effort against Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo over claims that he is conducting a revenge campaign against his opponents. Carollo is the former City Manager of the City of Doral and the publisher claims that Carollo had previously called any opponents part of a "secret Communist cabal."

Petitioners would need 1580 signatures in 30 days and then 4738 signatures in 60 days.