Massachusetts: Fall River Mayor outspent contenders in recall race

Some further details about the money race in the recall lost/replacement victory of Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II (D). Correia, who is under indictment for stealing from investors and tax fraud, lost the recall run overwhelmingly, 7829-4911. However, because Massachusetts allows a candidate facing a recall to run in the replacement race (not that uncommon a provision), he won the replacement race against five contenders with about 35% of the vote.

Correia outspent his top challenger by 57% -- spending $70,147 (though $17.500 was for legal work on the recall). The runner up, Paul Coogan, spent $40,343.

California: San Diego School Board Trustee facing recall threats

San Diego Unified School District Trustee Kevin Beiser, facing sexual misconduct accusations brought by four men, is being called on to resign. If he doesn't, the recall would be needed, but it  is unclear at the moment how that 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.

California: Torrance Treasurer facing recall effort for five-month no-show

Torrance Treasurer Dana Cortez is set to face a recall effort after she hasn't shown up for work in nearly five months (she claims medical issues). Petitioner needs about 13000 signatures. The article notes that the last successful recall in Torrance was in 1941.

Arizona: Douglas Mayor signatures verified; recall may be set for August

Petitioners appear to have enough signatures to get the recall of Mayor Robert Uribe on the ballot. Petitioners handed in 801 signatures and 668 were valid. The needed 569.

The issues include alleged employee problems and a failure to have a special meeting as requested by council members. It looks like August 27 is thought of as the election date.

Colorado: Petitions approved against Democratic House Rep

One of the petitions has been approved to start the recall effort against Representative Rochelle Galindo (D). Petitioners would need 5,696 valid signatures to get on the ballot. The recall against Galindo and other Democrats appear to be part of a GOP state-wide recall effort to regain power. The issues they are citing are votes on gun control and oil and gas regulation.

Maryland: Article on removing Baltimore's mayor

Mayor Catherine Pugh has taken a leave of absence following revelations about a deal where she was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a self-published book. This article looks at whether Pugh can be removed -- Baltimore doesn't have a recall provision, so that won't work. I'm quoted in the piece.

The article lists some of Maryland's noteworthy recalls, including two in 1998, one against Fairmount Heights' Mayor Kathleen Scott (spending money to change the town hall locks and hiring a police chief) and one against Snow Hill Mayor Craig Johnson (who allowed a squad car to be used in a porn movie shoot) and one against Brunswick Mayor Susan Fauntleroy in 1990 over water rate increases. All were removed. The article also notes the recall of Bowie Councilwoman Diane Polangin in 2017, which we covered here.

New Mexico: Aztec Mayor and two Commissioners face recall push over opposition to gun rights bill

Mayor Victor Snover and Commissioners Rosalyn Fry and Mark Lewis are facing recall efforts over their vote against a gun rights resolution (the Second Amendment Preservation City Resolution).

Since New Mexico is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, a district judge would have to find that committed a "for cause" action --- which is unlikely from this story at least. If the judge did greenlight it, petitioners would need the signatures of 20% of the average number of turnout over the last four regular municipal elections (I've never seen that average used). The recall would also require that the vote in favor of the recall is higher than the vote total that elected the official.

It would mean 260 for Snover, 193 for Fry and 196 for Lewis.

In 2000, three commissioners faced a recall, though they all defeated the effort. The election (which was a special in December 2000) had one of the highest voter turnouts in city history.

Colorado: Recall effort against House Representative face $325,000 in pledged donations

One of two efforts to recall Representative Rochelle Galindo (D) is already claiming to have $325,000 in pledged donations from a landowner and oil and gas companies. This recall seems to be focused on her vote in favor of changes to oil & gas regulations and is more locally controlled than the state-wide recall effort by Republicans to use the recall to regain power. That recall effort has run into some trouble, as one of the leaders has called Galindo a "homosexual pervert."

 

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Pennsylvania: Article opposing adoption of recall law

Here

New Mexico: Group trying to push for Governor recall over border issue; No recall law on the state level

In a letter to the editor in the Rio Rancho Observer, Joy Ambrosia has claimed that there is a move to recall Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) over her decision to remove national guard troops from the border and support for a gun control bill. The petitioners claim that Governor has "usurped the authority of the President..."

While New Mexico does allow for the recall on the local level (though that is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall one, so that would be an additional significant hurdle), it does not have a state level recall (though a Republican state Representative has proposed such a law). The author of the piece takes the very novel argument that the US Constitution's "full faith and credit clause" somehow gives the state a recall law. They claim that they need 231,921 signatures to get on the ballot.

Colorado: Signatures thrown out in Three Cripple Creek-Victory School District Board Members recall; Petitioners have 15 days to get enough to qualify for the ballot

A significant number of signatures against Board President Timothy Braun, Treasurer Dennis Jones and Secretary Tonya Martin were tossed out by the County Clerk. Petitioners needed 400 signatures by March 11. They handed in 444 for Braun, 435 for Jones and 423 for Martin. However, only 338 were valid for Braun. 303 for Martin and 328 for Jones. Petitioners have another 15 days to get more signatures.

The recall is over claims of violation of the open record act and possibly a suspension of the superintendent. One of the leader was a former Head Start director who lost to Jones by 30 votes in November 2017. A recall would cost about $8500.

Washington, DC: Council member recall delayed after group fails to file campaign finance paperwork

The push to recall Council Member Jack Evans (D) over a probe into financial dealings has been delayed to a failure by the recall group to submit campaign finance paperwork. This could be the end the effort, as DC has a year end of term grace period, and Evans' term ends in 2020.

Adam Eidinger, who has previously worked with Evans on marijuana decriminalization, said he will file this week. He need approximately 5200 signatures (10% of registereds in 180 days).  Evans has been in office for 28 years.

New Jersey: Petition approved for recall of New Jersey Governor

A new petition has been approved to recall Governor Phil Murphy (D). Former gubernatorial candidates who lost in the primary races in 2017 have endorsed the effort. Petitioners would need over 1.4 million valid signatures to get on the ballot.

Colorado: New GOP Chairman endorses recall efforts against Democratic state legislators

Congressman Ken Buck, who narrowly won a four way, four-ballot vote to lead the state GOP, endorse the recall efforts, which now includes Senate President Leroy Garcia.

Florida: Bill aims to toughen ballot initiative laws

Florida Republicans are looking into bills that would change the ballot initiative laws by requiring petitioners to be paid by wages or hours not signatures gathered, disclose the sponsors' name and percent of money raised and may require gatherers to live in-state. Another bill may raise the vote amount to two-thirds from 60%. The move is viewed as a way to limit initiatives.

Navajo Nation: Three School Board members kicked out in recall vote

Alamo Navajo School Board President Hector Guerro, VP Bucky Apache and MemberSteven Apache all lost their seats in a March 12 recall vote. Guerrero lost to Charlotte Guerro, coming in third behind Geneva Apachito (228-80-78); Bucky Apache lost to John Apachito 292-109; and Steven Apache lost to Raymond Apachito Sr. 258-123.

The recall was over questions of misspending. The three are barred from serving in any Navajo Nation elected office for eight years.

Massachusetts: Settlement in wrongful termination suit that led to recall of three Stoughton Selectmen

Former Town Manager Michael Hartman settled a lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination. The firing of Hartman led to the recalls of Chairman David "Spanky" Sousa (55% against)  and Selectman Robert Cohn (52.4 % against) and Peter Brown (52.5).

Colorado: Administrators behind Facebook page touting Governor recall have history of anti-Semitic posts

The push for the recall of Governor Jared Polis (D) has gained a lot of attention for collecting 30,000 Facebook members (none of whom count to get the recall on the ballot). Now, there has been a revelation that administrators have a history of posting anti-Semitic comments, especially against Polis who is Jewish. The group claims to have gotten rid of these administrators.

Petitioners would need 631,266 signatures to get on the ballot.

Florida: Riviera Beach City Council members lose reelection fights after recall signatures thrown out

Following a recall attempt in which thousands of signatures were tossed out becase of issues with the date on the petitions, resulting in a judge stopping the recall, Riviera Beach City Council members Terence Davis, Lynne Hubbard and Dawn Pardo were all kicked out in a runoff election. The recall was over a vote to fire the city manager.

Michigan: Recalled Leoni Township Clerk hired as consultant after replacement resigns

Former Clerk Michele Manke (D) who lost to Mark Carpenter (R) in November, has been hired as a consult for the May election. Carpenter resigned the office in March, saying he wasn't trained by the state until this month and with 600 untouched voter resignations. Manke served for 14 years before the recall.