Who Will Be the Next Victim of the Grand Bounce? A nonpartisan, nonjudgmental look at the “Hair-Trigger” Form of Government
Months after being kicked out in an August 18 recall election, former Gates City Councilor Ron Carmickle (who lost 101-91) was elected Mayor. Carmickle filed for the Mayoral race before the recall. He won 112-107-58.
Carmickle and Jim Hensell (105-85) were both ousted in the recall vote. The issue was joining a proposed sewer district.
Las Lomitas School Board member John Earnhardt is facing recall threats after being accused of lacking sensitity in his responses to the wife of a former school board member's insulting tweets about VP Kamala Harris. Petitioners would need 2053 signatures to get on the ballot.
Here's a great article the Oklahoman's Carmen Forman looking at why some governors do not face recall votes.
The certification of Hawaii's presidential vote in favor of President-elect Joe Biden is being held up on a handwritten complaint filed by a woman who is complaining that she was an independent candidate but left off the ballot. She also asks for a recall election (though it is not clear for whom). The article does mention that the Hawaii doesn't have a provision for a recall election, though it seems some jurisdictions in the state do at least allow it on the local level.
Petitions have been taken out against Pahokee Mayor Keith Babb, Vice Mayor Clara Murvin and Commissioner Benny Everett after the City Manager has faced three critical County Inspector General audits. Petitioners have gotten 378 signatures and need 304 to get past the first stage.
A new PAC is aiming to recall newly reelected Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) and Commissioner Dan Ryan. The recall effort is led by Progressive activists who are complaining that Ryan voted against a proposal to shrink the Portland Police Bureau budget.
Wheeler has a six month grace period once his new term starts. Petitioners would need 35,925 valid signatures to get on the ballot.
The third recall attempt against Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has now gotten a bit of propulsion due to a group outing that Newsom took to the French Laundry restaurant. The petition been previously been granted a 120 day extension. This recall effort list a kitchen sink grouping of reasons, though it is focused on the economic damage of the pandemic.
The lead petitioner is Yolo County Deputy Sheriff Orrin Heatlie, and one of the supporters is Tom Del Beccaro, the former Chairman of the California Republican Party. This article claims that they have 700,000 signatures, though that it obviously unproven.
Two previous petitions against Newsom failed. Petitioners would need 1495709 signatures.Petitions against Shepherd School Board Trustee Matthew Showalter has been rejected by the Election Commission due to a wrong date on one of the events mentioned in the petition. Showalter is accused of disparaging the name of an opponent's junior varsity football team's player.
Update: The petition has since been approved.
Only 18 voters have cast early ballots in the recall of Blackshear Council member Shawn Godwin, which is set for December 1.
Council members Linda Gail Dennison and Timmy Sapp were also facing recall petitions, with the council holding a hearing on the charges. Two former mayors have signed the petitions. The issue appears to be their initial opposition to the hiring of the City Clerk. There's also a kitchen sink of other complaints over meeting attendance, open meeting violations and claims of censorship on social media.
Georgia is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a showing of cause is needed. I haven't seen any discussion of whether this has already occurred.
Park Ridge Village President Steve Bergin and Trustee Gert Neuendorf are facing a December 8 recall election, apparently over the planned construction of a new fire station. Steve Menzel is facing off against Bergin and Gord Renfert is challenging Neuendorf.
Six Joplin City Council members, Mayor Ryan Stanley and Councilmembers Diane Reid Adams, Keenan Cortez, Anthony Monteleone, Chuck Copple and Christina Williams, are facing recall efforts over their support for a mask ordinance to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Petitioners had taken out recall papers earlier and are now making a new effort. Petitioners claim there was a meeting of the Sunshine Law (Open Meetings Act). Petitioners will need about 6500 signatures.
The San Diego Unified School Board is pushing for Trustee Kevin Beiser to resign, though the boards' new law (passed on Election Day) giving the board members the power to initiate a recall election if there is a conviction or dereliction of duty. However, two board members are not willing to use the power. Beiser is facing sexual misconduct accusations brought by four men.
It is also unclear at the moment how a traditional voter-backed recall would work. School board members run in a primary in a subdistrict and the face a general election in the entire school district. So it is not certain if they would need signatures from 15% of registereds throughout the city, in a school district or in a specific subdistrict. This shouldn't be a surprise, as San Diego's recall law was a disaster.
The death of a 15 year old has led to a group of recalls, led by Village 337 and the New Black Panther Party. Baldwin Police Chief Harry Smith Jr. is facing a recall effort who has allegedly been absent for nine months. Acadia Parish Sheriff KP Gibson for ignoring inmates' rights concerns and over an injury during an arrest, 16th Judicial District Attorney Bo Duhe for not pressing charges against a family and Crowley Adlerman Lyle Fogelman, who allegedly made a throat slicing gesture on camera. No word on how many signatures are needed.
Leon Valley Councilmembers Monica Alcocer (2993-1475) and Donna Charles (3081-1396) were kicked out in an Election Day recall, which due to the coronavirus, was delayed from May 2. The seats still have to be filled by appointment.
The recall was scheduled after some delay and a lawsuit. The recall was over the vote to kick out Councilman Benny Martinez over sexual harassment complaint. Petitioners include two former council members and the Mayor Chris Riley.
Four Woodmere Village Council members, Council President Jennifer Mitchell Earley and members Lisa Brockwell, Glenda Todd Miller and Craig Wade, will be facing an upcoming recall vote, seemingly over the lack of a sidewalk on a road and an out of date website. The special election is set for January 19. The recall seems to be about new residents versus old ones.
West Plains Mayor Jack Pahlmann and Councilmembers Josh Cotter and Jessica Nease are facing petitions after they voted to approve a masking ordinance in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Petitioners have 60 days, though unclear on how many signatures are needed.
Update: The City Attorney has claimed that the petitioners have not given an actual claim for the recall.
Petitioners are claiming that they are receiving four times the amount of donations for the second recall effort has been filed against Governor Doug Ducey (R) over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the earlier petition (which has since failed), which was taken out by people opposed to the stay-at-home orders, the latest one has been filed by petitioners who claim that Ducey's response took too long and Ducey reopened the state too quickly.
Petitioners would need over 594,111 signatures in 120 days.
Montezuma-Cortez School Board member Lance McDaniel is facing a recall effort over Facebook posts where he claims to be antifa and was seemingly upset about a park naming. Petitioners handed in more than the 1126 signatures needed.
Update: Petitions seem to have been approved, and an election date will be set soon.
A recall effort against Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu (Democratic Progressive Party) has gotten to the ballot, with a vote to be held on January 16. Petitioners handed in 38.922 signatures and got more than the 31,515 needed.
There is also a recall effort against Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Chieh has a signature gathering efforts, handing in 40,918.
Petitioners failed to hand in signatures three Oconomowoc School Board members, Kim Herro, Scott Roehl and Juliet Steitzer. The issue was the school board vote against face-to-face instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.
Petitioners needed about 5500 signatures. Steitzer is up for reelection in the fall regardless. The other two school board members have not served the required year before petitions can be taken out.
San Diego Councilwoman Jen Campbell is facing a recall effort over a vote on rentals and rezoning laws.
Onslow County Board of Education member Eric Whitfield (R) is facing recall threats over racist Facebook posts comments that led to his being fired from a job at the Jacksonville Christian Academy. Onslow does not appear to have a recall law, so it is unclear how he would be removed. The Onslow County GOP has disavowed him as well. Whitfield signed the online petition for his recall and said it will help him in a 2024 run for the Board of Commissioners.
Cuesta College Board of Trustees President Peter Sysak is facing calls (and an editorial) calling for his removal over Facebook posts attacking Black Lives Matter protestors, LGBT, Muslims and women.
Oregon City Mayor Dan Holladay lost a recall vote with over 68% voting for his removal. Holladay faced the recall over his opposition to the stay at home order to fight the coronavirus pandemic and his complaining about the protests following the killing of George Floyd. They got over 2400 signatures. They need 1828 signatures. The previous two mayors (who supported Holladay) have signed a letter calling the behavior "disturbing." The cost would be between $30,000 - $60,000.
This is the first mayoral recall to get on the ballot in Oregon City history (it is Oregon's oldest city).
Update: Damon Mabee, who lost to Holladay in 2018, has filed to run in the March 2020 election.
Mohave County Board of Supervisors member Jean Bishop (R) is facing a recall effort right after winning another term of office (with 67% of the voter). Petition claims that they have over 2000 signatures, and they need 2998 to get on the ballot -- unclear how they've been able to start collecting before her term starts. The recall is over the county's coronavirus pandemic shutdown rules. Bishop had previously been threatened with a recall in 2018.
A Bureau of Indian Affairs Judge has stopped the recall of Kiowa Legislator Jessie Svitak, though the article doesn't get into why or why the recall was going to happen. It may be rescheduled.
Another recall attempt against Governor Jared Polis (D) has failed, with petitioners failing to hand in any signatures. This recall was over Polis' push to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
An earlier recall against Polis failed, with petitioners not turning in any signatures by the due date. The issues cited were his support for the National Popular Vote law, gun control legislation and the oil and gas law.
Petitioners needed 631,226.
The rubber match of the the battle between former state Senator Josh Newman (D) andSenator Ling Ling Chang (R), ended with Newman triumphant.
Newman was kicked out in a recall in June 2018 with 58% against, and replaced by Chang. Newman beat Chang in 2016 by 2498 votes. (Chang did not technically run against Newman in the recall -- the vote was an up or down against Newman, with Chang selected in a same day replacement vote).
The recall was launched over a gas tax and the Republicans push to deprive Democrats of a 2/3rds supermajority in the Senate. The Democrats quickly recaptured the supermajority in the fall elections.
Petitioners submitted signatures against five members of the Stillwater City Council, Mayor Will Joyce, Vice Mayor Pat Darlington and Councilors Alane Zannotti, Amy Dzialowski and Jon Wedlake, over their support for the government's moves to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Petitioners handed in between 530-540 signatures and need 415 valids.
There are questions over whether the Payne County Assessor role, as the County Assessor was apparently holding petitions and notarizing them for anyone who signs. This is quite unusual in the US (though it is normal in the UK).
The recall effort against Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has been dropped after the organizer has been accused of misusing funds (the recall organizer claims that the investigation into his efforts are intimidation and, in a new one, he says that he is dropped because he was assured that Garcia would be appointed to a Biden Administration position).
The recall seemed to be about Garcia receiving political donations from police association groups. Petitioner needed about 26,500 signatures to get on the ballot.
Diamond City Mayor Linda Miracle was ousted in a recall 282-91. Diamond City has had both police officers and other city employees resign in recent months. Miracle sued the city council earlier this year after they held a meeting without her. Miracle had allegedly not shown up to multiple meetings.
The new mayor will be appointed.
Humboldt Mayor Bob Mendenhall survived a recall vote 219-161. The recall is over strict cost control program.
Heyburn Mayor Mark Rosa was ousted in a recall vote, 748-440. Petitioners needed a higher total than what Rosa received in 2019 (199). Rosa faced complaints of a hostile environment, overstepping financial authority trying to stop a sewer improvement project and trying to get funds to pay for an attorney to sue the city.
Update: City Council President Dick Galbraith has been appointed as the replacement mayor.
Big Spring Mayor Shannon Thomason survived his recall vote 56-44%. Council members Camilla Strande (59-41%) and Jim DePauw (52-48%) were removed. Thomason recall was over claims that he threatened business permits after the petitioners family member filed a lawsuit against the City. DePauw and Strande were opposed to Thomason.
Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District Board Chair Bruce Speirs was ousted in a recall vote, 84-37 against Walter Krushinsky. The recall is complaints about demoralizing the department, though Speirs says it has to do with the behavior of the former fire chief.
Petitioners needed 18 signatures to get on the ballot.
Williams County Public School Board member Myles Fisher was ousted in a recall, losing to Dennis Nehring 370-291.
The recall was over a vote to reorganize the district and one of the leaders of the recall effort was former School Board President Jennifer Jorgenson.
This is the third recall in Williams this year, as two other school board members lost their seats in February, School Board President Penny Soiseth and Vice President Curt Sullivan.
Councilman La'Shadion Shemwell was ousted in a recall, 47,843 to 18,440. The recall of Shemwell, was originally scheduled for May 2, but took place on November 3.
Shemwell has been a controversial member of the council with complaints of violating ethics codes and making inflammatory statements and getting arrested repeatedly. Shemwell has argued that the arrests have occurred after he was racially profiled for 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. The Shemwell recall is supposed to cost the city $70,000.
Update: Shemwell was replaced by Christopher Thorton.
Update 2: Thorton lived outside the district and was ineligible for appointment. Angela Richardson-Woods has been appointed instead.
Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey survived a recall vote, winning 52-48%. Dewey was facing a recall over a contract for services with a tech provider. Dewey argued that the recall does not meet the state's malfeasance standard. The judge temporarily delayed the vote, leading for a vote on Election Day instead of August 4.
The claim is that the $79,800 contract wasn't approved by the City Council. There was also petitions filed five petitions filed against Dewey from 2018-2019, though none met the state's malfeasance standard and all were tossed.
An overwhelming vote (2372-256) against Solvang City Council Chris Djernaes has led to his ouster Djernaes voted in favor of a proposed project that would remove the Veteran's Hall and replace it with a plaza as well as complaints about his behavior at meetings. Petitioners have handed 1342 signatures, and got 1156. They needed 920 signatures to get on the ballot.
Jim Thomas won the replacement race over Jamie Baker, 1851-753.
Whitepine School District Trustee Aaron Proctor has been ousted in a recall, 130-98. Proctor's recall was over his support for mask wearing and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Petitioners needed 59 signatures to get on the ballot.
Braintree Councilor Julia Flaherty is facing recall threats over a Facebook post about a "Veterans for Trump" sign and a man wearing an NRA T-Shirt. No petitions have been filed as of yet.
The third recall attempt against Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has been granted a 120 day extension. This recall effort list a kitchen sink grouping of reasons, though it is focused on the economic damage of the pandemic.
The lead petitioner is Yolo County Deputy Sheriff Orrin Heatlie, and one of the supporters is Tom Del Beccaro, the former Chairman of the California Republican Party. This article claims that they have 700,000 signatures, though that it obviously unproven.
Petitions against Anchorage Assembly Chair Felix Rivera have been approved over the claim that he didn't stop a meeting which, due to the size of the audience, violated the emergency order limiting crowds during the coronavirus pandemic (there may have been 17 people at the meeting, which had a limit of 15). Petitioners would need 2735 signatures by January 5 to get on the ballot.
Petitions have been rejected for Assembly members Meg Zaletel, Austin Quinn-Davidson and Kameron Perez-Verdia. New petitions are being reviewed for Quinn-Davidson and Perez-Verdia.
The recall effort against Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher has been approved by the Washington State Supreme Court. Previously a judge had green lit a recall effort, ruling that petitioners have met Washington's malfeasance standard on eight charges.
The Deputy Sheriff's Guild membership was leading the way. An independent investigator found that Hatcher retaliated against a whistleblower and two witnesses and engaged in anti-union activity.
Hatcher also has run into personal issues with his wife filing a civil protection order claiming that he choked her during a fight over his extramarital affairs. The order meant he had to surrender his firearm. He also was previously charged with felony witness tampering and assault, though chargers were dismissed.
Petitioners would need about 14000 signatures to get on the ballot.
Update: Hatcher is now claiming he lives in a cabin in Montana and is suing his wife to cover the expenses of the recall defense.
Petitioners have now handed in over 1300 signatures for the recall of Hamtramck Councilman Ian Perrotta. The effort is led by six current and former council members, including Councilman Mohammed Hassan (who put out a press release). Perrotta was recently censured by the council for allegedly bullying and harassing an employee. He also was previously almost censured for a comment on the immigrant population.