Friday, June 30, 2023

Colorado: Two Dacono councilmembers kicked out in recall vote

Dacono Councilmembers Jim Turini (546-353) and Jackie Thomas (546-354) were kicked out in recall votes on June 27. The recall was over their votes to remove the city manager. 

Michelle Rogers (562 votes) and Tony Cummings (535) were elected to replace the two.

Two other councilmembers are not facing a recall effort. Kathryn Wittman is facing reelection in November and Danny Long is still in the six-month grace period.

A Dacono City Council meeting was shut down over a fight about paying for the upcoming recall vote and whether the two councilmembers hit with the recall can vote on the proposed resolution.

Washington: Lynnwood Councilmember facing petitions

Petitions are moving forward against Lynnwood Councilmember Josh Binda after a Snohomish County Judge found that the petitions met the malfeasance standard. Binda is accused of using the city's email to negotiate private speaking contracts and filming a video promoting his tour; failing to file a financial statement; using campaign funds on plane tickets and Versace clothing; lying to the council; and falling asleep and being absent from council meetings.

Petitioners need 2416 signatures (35% of turnout) to get on the ballot.

Colorado: Signatures handed in against Englewood Council member, two recall on the ballot already

Signatures have been handed in against Englewood Councilmember Cheryl Wink, which would make her the third official to face a recall if it clears the bar (petitioners need 1426 signatures to make the ballot).

Signatures have already been handed in against Englewood Councilmembers Chelsea Nunnenkamp and Mayor Othoniel Sierra, and petitioners cleared both of those, needing 342 for Nunnekamp and 458 for Sierra. An election should be scheduled between August and October.

Signatures are still outstanding against Councilmembers Joe Anderson (they need 583).

The recall effort is over a plan to allow multifamily development in a single-family zone. Sink is also facing complaints about attendance.

 Anderson succeeded a former Councilmember Laurett Barrentine, who survived a recall vote but lost reelection. 


Kansas: Petitions against Prairie Village Mayor rejected

Four attempts to recall Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson have been rejected by the Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe due to not meeting the malfeasance standard requirement. The petitions focus on some attempt to surmount the malfeasance question, but the issues seem to be a debate about housing plans. 

Idaho: Signatures handed in against two West Bonner School Board Members

Signatures have been handed in against West Bonner School Board Chair Keith Rutledge and Trustee Susan Brown over a 3-2 vote to approve the appointment of former State Senator Branden Durst as the new school superintendent, despite him not having the qualifications to serve (he needs to have worked in a school for four years -- the board declared an emergency to allow it). Durst, a former Democrat who switched parties and ran for the Republican nomination for State Superintendent (he lost). Durst is seen as part of a "far-right takeover" of the schools.

Petitioners need 243 signatures for Rutledge and 180 for Brown. The recall would take place on August 29 if verified

Idaho has a "Queen of the Hill" provision, which would required a recall to not only win the vote, but top the total number of votes in favor of the candidate in the last election. Voters need 245 votes to kick out Rutledge and 177 to remove Brown.

Michigan: Petitions language approved against two Davison School Board

Petitions have been approved against two Davison School Board Members, President Karen Conover and VP Granger Stefanko after they appointed voted to appoint former board member Diane Rhines to the school board after she lost a reelection bid. 

No word on what happened with the recall effort against Treasurer Holly Halabicky. A recall against a fourth member could not be filed due to the fact that he was in the first year grace period.

Petitioners need 4633 signatures to get on the ballot.

Davison's school board had a notable recall fight in 2022.

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Massachusetts: Easthampton Mayor facing recall effort

Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle is facing a recall effort over a failed school superintendent search, as well as for sending a police officer to make a midnight job offer to a candidate's home. Petitioners need 2517 signatures in 21 days.  LaChapelle was first elected as mayor in 2017. 

There is also a recall effort against Schoolboard member Cynthia Kwiecinski.

Friday, June 23, 2023

Michigan: Petition language rejected in Allendale School Board recall

Can't open any articles, but petitions were filed and rejected against Allendale School Board members. Here's an article about the school board fight (presumably, this may be the focus of the recall effort).

Louisiana: Petitions filed against Elton Mayor

Petitions have been filed against Elton Mayor Kesia Skinner-Lemoine after an investigation by the Secretary of State of voter fraud in last November's election. The claim is that out-of-jurisdiction voters made the difference in the election.

Michigan: Petition language rejected against Scottville Mayor

A petition against Scottville Mayor Marcy Spencer was rejected on clarity/language grounds by the election commission. The recall is over her appointment to the city commission and then later to the mayoralty. Spencer lost a 2022 election, but was reappointed in December and won the mayor on January 9, 2023. 

Former Commissioner Eric Thue is leading the recall effort. Thue also lost his race in 2022.

Update: Petition language has now been approved.

Massachusetts: Dartmouth's Prudential Fire District Commissioner resigns before July 31 recall vote

Prudential Fire District 2 Committee member Robert Bouley resigned in the face of the July 31 recall vote. The election will still occur, though it is unclear if Bouley's name can be removed.

Bouley was set to face Paul Abrantes is running against him.

The recall efforts was over Bouley's push to remove the acting fire chief and refusing to interview him for the permanent position.. Numerous firefighters have already pushed for a no-confidence vote.

Petitioners handed in 236 signatures. 

Michigan: Flint Councilmember facing petitions

Petitions have been filed against Flint Councilmember Eric Mays after he was charged with disorderly conduct. Mays was escorted out of a council meeting and sentenced to six months probation.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

California: Temecula School Board Members targeted with recall

Three Temecula School Board members Joseph Komorsky, Danny Gonzalez and Jennifer Wiersma are facing recall efforts over complaints about extremist views, including banning critical race theory and rejecting a textbook because of a mention of Harvey Milk as well as the firing of the superintendent. 

California: Signatures handed in against one Santa Ana City Council member facing police union-led recall effort

Signatures have been handed in for the recall of Santa Ana City Council member Jessie Lopez, with petitioners seeming to have the numbers. 6582 valid signatures were either handed in or counted (probably the first) and 5274 were needed. Additionally, 129 people asked for their name to be removed under the signature strike law. The clerk has until July 26 for the full review.

There is also a petition outstanding against councilmember Thai Viet Phan, though that isn't due until August 7.

The two are facing recall efforts led by the police union over a labor contract. The contract reportedly doesn't met the union pay-raise proposals. The recall chairman cited a 2021 rent control policy as the reason for the recall. The recall effort comes after progressives won four council seats in 2020. 

The union backed a 2020 recall vote against Council member Cecillia Iglesias, who was kicked out.

Illinois: Wood River Councilmembers facing recall threats

Wood River Councilmembers Bill Dettmers and David Ayres are facing recall threats over complaints about meetings and low turnout in the election. Due to a grace period, the petitions can't start for six months. Petitioners need 10% of turnout (or about 65 signatures) to get on the ballot.

Friday, June 16, 2023

South Dakota: Judge rules Baltic Mayor recall can move forward

A judge ruled that the recall effort against Baltic Mayor Deborah McIsaac can move forward to the signature gathering stage. Can't open the article, but the recall is over a construction project. The owner of the project claims that McIsaac and other city officials have thrown up roadblocks to stop the project from continuing. Petitioners would need 15% of registered voters in 60 days. 

North Dakota: Recall effort against Grand Forks City Council President fails

No signatures were handed in in the recall effort against Grand Forks City Council President Dana Sande. The recall was seemingly over the effort to bring a corn mill to the town (plan was killed after the Air Force called in a national security threat, due to the fact that it was owned by a China-based company and near an air force base). Petitioners need 1318 signatures. 

Petitioner Kevin Wilson is planning on running for the seat. He seems to have moved into town in June.

It seems like the last recall in the city was against Councilmember John Hoff in 2000.

Wisconsin: Taylor County Supervisor recall makes the ballot for July 18

A recall election is to be held on July 18 against Taylor County Board  of Supervisors Member Lester Lewis. Lewis represents Grover, Westboro and Molitor. Petitioners handed in more than 200 valid signatures. They needed 170. The recall is over complaints about Lewis' behavior at Veterans Service meetings. Lewis has been in office for 22 years.

Colorado: Englewood Council recall makes the ballot; 3 petitions still outstanding

The recall election against Englewood Councilmembers Chelsea Nunnenkamp is moving forward, with petitioners handing in at least 342 signatures for the recall to move forward. An election should be scheduled between August and October.

Petitions are still out against Mayor Othoniel Sierra and Councilmembers Joe Anderson and Cheryl Wink and are due by July 6. The recall effort is over a plan to allow multifamily development in a single-family zone. Anderson succeeded a former Councilmember Laurett Barrentine, who survived a recall vote but lost reelection. 

Florida: Appellate Court overturns Crescent City Commissioner recall vote

The Fifth District Court of Appeals has thrown out the recall vote against Crescent City Commissioner Cynthia Burton, more than a month after voters ousted Burton, 180-126. 

The court's decision used both substantive and procedural grounds to toss out the vote. It held that the petitions were not filed with the appropriate official (the clerk), though one of the concurrences disagrees with this position. Substantively, it held that the petitions did not meet the malfeasance standard of the law, claiming that there was no real violation of the Open Meeting Act or Sunshine Law. Generally, the Open Meeting Act violations are a popular charge in malfeasance standard recalls, so this ruling would be a blow to them, but hard to say that it would have too large an impact, as some jurisidictions in Florida have political recall laws.

The complaint over the sunshine law violation was over a vote to abolish the police department (which took place two years ago). A former mayoral candidate, Craig Oates, is leading the effort.

There was previously failed recall against another Commissioner, Judith West, over the same vote.

There is now discussion of whether Burton should be reimbursed for the costs of the recall (and presumably, legal costs as well).

Thursday, June 15, 2023

California: Petitions taken out against Stockton School Board President

Petitions have been taken out against Stockton Unified Board President AngelAnn Flores. Petitioners need 2250 signatures in 120 days to get on the ballot. 

The lead petitioner is Melissa Garibay Ortiz, who lost the election to Flores "by a wide margin." It's not clear what the recall is specifically about from the story.

California: Shasta County recall supporters ask for a replacement race rather than an appointment if a recall takes place

California's change in the recall law is now coming into focus, as recall supporters in Shasta County are asking that Governor Gavin Newsom not appoint a replacement if Supervisor Kevin Crye is ousted in a recall and instead allow the voters to choose. Presumably, this could be an issue in the election. As a reminder, in 2022, the state changed the law for local officials who lose a recall election. In that case (unless there is a local law from a charter city), the new law eliminates a replacement election and instead uses an automatic replacement model (with the governor or a specified body making the choice of replacements).

The recall is over the vote to cancel a voting systems contract with Dominion Voting and requiring handcounting, which will cost the county millions. Petitioners need 4151 signatures to get to the ballot. This is part of the fight in Shasta and Crye seems to be connected to the far right groups, one of whom led the successful recall of Supervisor Leonard Moty.

Florida: Palm Coast City Council codifies recall law

Here

Georgia: Lula Mayor/Postman facing further complaints

Further complaints about Lula Mayor Joe Thomas, who was the target of a failed recall effort with Councilmember Gene Bramlett earlier this year over claims of intimidation and retaliation. City officials have been hit with two investigations in the last six months.

Thomas is apparently the town mailman and residents are complaining that he withheld mail from opponents.

Massachusetts: Lanesborough Town Meeting adopts recall law

Citizens at the Lanesborough Town Meeting voted to adopt a recall law. The article seems to have little in the way of details about the new law.

Massachusetts: Recall vote against Dartmouth's Prudential Fire District Commissioner on July 31

A recall of Prudential Fire District 2 Committee member Robert Bouley is set to take place on July 31. Paul Abrantes is running against him.

Bouley recall efforts was over Bouley's push to remove the acting fire chief and refusing to interview him for the permanent position.. Numerous firefighters have already pushed for a no-confidence vote.

Petitioners handed in 236 signatures. 

Michigan: Maple Valley Treasurer resigns in the face of petitions

Maple Valley Township Treasurer Marianne Schwandt has resigned in the face of petitions.

Schwandt faced theffort less than a year after her husband, Supervisor John Schwandt, was kicked out over votes that were seen as supportive of wind farms. Article is behind a paywall, so I can't say what this recall is specifically about or other details,

Texas: La Marque long distance councilmember facing upcoming vote

La Marque City Councilmember Michael Carlson is facing an upcoming recall vote. I'm not seeing any articles outside of a paywall, but it seems that Carlson is seen as a long distance councilmember who is working from Oregon. Petitioners needed 105 signatures.

Update: Recall vote is set for Election Day, November 7.

North Dakota: Candidate enters Horace City Council recall race

A candidate, Arlin Fisher, is running in the August 15 recall election against Horace City Council Member Stephanie Landstrom has succeeded in getting the signatures and she will be on the ballot on August 15. 

The recall is over a vote to pause a program that gave home buyers a two-year property tax break. The recall effort was backed by realtors.

Petitioners needed 98 signatures. 

Two Horace Council members were ousted in a recall in 2021. 

Monday, June 12, 2023

Louisiana: Complaints about amendments to bill changing state's recall law

The proposed changes to Louisiana's recall law failed in the legislature, and now there are complaints that the author of the bill gutted it and "stabbed the voters in the back" by raising the signature requirements to get on the ballot.

Michigan: Language rejected in newest attempt against New Buffalo Mayor

A new recall attempt against New Buffalo Mayor John Humphrey has failed, with the Election Board rejecting the petition language over complaints of language and water bill costs.

Last year, there was a serious attempt against Humphrey and Councilman Brian Flanagan. That recall failed, with officials knocking out enough signatures to kill the recall. 294 signatures were handed in for Humphrey and 271 for Flanagan. At least 80 signatures were tossed out on each one and they needed 219 to get on the ballot. 

The issue was a vote in favor of a ordinance banning short-term rentals. Humphrey is also facing a petition over having someone kicked out of a council meeting.

Oregon: Republican National Committee Member survives recall vote

Oregon Republican National Committee Member Solomon Yue survived his recall vote, with 80-50 votes calling for his removal, which was 7 less than needed for his being kicked out. 

I'm not exactly sure about the rules for the recall vote (Petitioners claimed that about 60% of active Republican county parties signed the petition).

Petitions claim that Yue has undermined RNC Chairs in the past, including supporting a challenge to current RNC chair Ronna McDaniel. There are also questions of "loyalty" which seems based on the fact that he was born in China. Yue, who has been in office for six terms, claims that he is being targeted because of his support for Donald Trump. One of the supporters of the recall effort, fellow RNC National Committee Member Tracy Honl, voted for McDaniel and notes that she is also a Trump supporter. 

Oregon: Two Gervais City Councilors facing June 20 recall vote (Update: They both lost)

Gervais City Councilors Pam Foreman and Mickey Waegner are facing a June 20 recall vote over complaints about oversight.

A third councilor, Baltazar Gonzalez, also faced a recall effort, but petitioners didn't get the signatures. Petitioners needed 108 signatures for each, they got 112 for Foreman, 109 for Waegner, but only 97 for Gonzalez.

Update: Both lost the recall vote, Foreman saw 54.64% against, and Wagner saw 56.12% against.

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Minnesota: Columbia Heights Councilmember facing petitions

Columbia Heights Councilmember Kay (Kt) Jacobs is facing petitions over claims that she made inappropriate racial comments to another councilmember when he was running for office (She questioned whether he was really biracial). The council has already voted to ask her to step down. Petitioner needs 1740 signatures to get on the ballot, and since Minnesota is a malfeasance standard state, they will need approval from a judge. 

Nebraska: 2nd Omaha Councilmember facing petitions

Omaha City Councilmember Danny Begley is facing petitions, as part of the fallout from the arrest of City Council member Vinny Palermo. Begley is accused of blocking an opportunity to have voters choosing Palermo replacement if he is removed.

Palermo is facing a recall effort over an arrest on felony fraud charges and allegations of steering contracts for bribes. The petition includes a kitchen sink of other complaints in it, but this seems to be the focus. Petitioners need 2462 signatures.

The council president has noted that the council is required to select the replacement, which has led to discontent. 

Colorado: Challenge to Broomfield Recall Rejected

A challenge against the recall effort against Broomfield City Councilmember Todd Cohen has been rejected, with the hearing officer greenlighting the recall for an upcoming election (not sure the date, perhaps election day).

The recall was challenged on claims that the petitions contain false information. Petitioners seem to have gotten the needed signatures -- they handed in 1356 signatures, 1246 were verified. 1083 were needed.

The recall is over his support for two gun control ordinances that passed, one of which required serialized numbers to prevent ghost guns and banning open carry. Petitioners are also complaining about a water tank bill and homelessness. Another councilmember, Heidi Henkel, was also targeted, but since she is up for reelection, it seems like there is no real effort against her.

The anti-recall group is citing a potential cost of $76,000 for the recall.

Michigan: Petitions filed against three City Council members

Petitions have been filed against Flint City Council President Allie Herkenroder and Vice President Ladel Lewis over claims that they did not attend a meeting for applying for a community grant program funding. This follows a recall effort against Councilmember Judy Priestley. 

Michigan: Three Rives Township Treasurer resigns after petitions approved

Rives Township Treasurer Janina Teske resigned after petitions were approved against her and Trustees Christine Beecher and Bryce Hammond.  Teske was facing a recall effort over claims of misappropriating funds. The board called for Teske to pay back $10,000 over compensation for filing construction permits. She is being replaced as Treasurer by Joseph Yang, who seemed to have been the leader in the recall effort.

 The petitions against Beecher and Hammond focused on the resignation of the clerk, resulting in several failed votes for a new clerk and some budget votes.

Friday, June 2, 2023

Michigan: Three Rives Township Trustees facing petitions

Rives Township Trustees Christine Beecher and Bryce Hammond and Treasurer Janina Teske are facing recall efforts after the clerk resigned, resulting in several failed votes for a new clerk and some budget votes. Teske is facing petitions over claims of misappropriating funds. The board called for Teske to pay back $10,000 over compensation for filing construction permits.

South Dakota: My op-ed on the curious case of South Dakota, direct democracy pioneer but rarely using recalls

Here's my op-ed on the curious case of South Dakota. Despite the fact that it was the first direct democracy state (adopting the initiative in 1898), it has barely used recalls: 

South Dakotans rarely target local officials with a recall. There is no central database of recalls in the state, but over 12 years of keeping track of recalls nationwide, there seems to have been only one elected official who faced an actual vote over the last 12 years — Whitewood Mayor Deb Schmidt, who easily survived the vote in 2011. Additionally, one other official, Trent President Bob Dickey, resigned in 2018 after recall petitions were taken out and signature collection started.

The state has had some close calls during this time. In 2015, a recall against Hartford’s mayor was kept from the ballot by the refusal of the city council to schedule an election after signatures were verified. The mayor eventually resigned, but the Legislature began looking into possible changes to the law to remove the scheduling power from city councils. In 2016, a recall in Rapid City failed after 1,700 signatures were tossed out because the court found that the petitioners hired out-of-state signature gatherers.

In 2011, petitioners seemingly handed in enough signatures for the recall of Huron’s mayor, but the effort failed as a good number of signatures were declared invalid (not an uncommon occurrence).

Other than those notable efforts, there were only a handful of recall threats that even made the newspapers over the years.

For the last time a recall seems to have succeeded in actually removing an official we would have to go back to Yankton in 2007, where the mayor and a city commissioner were kicked out of office.

It may not be fair to compare the state to the largest states that regularly see recalls take place, like California, Michigan, Oregon or Wisconsin. But even among the smaller population states, South Dakota stands out for this fairly paltry total. As a comparison, North Dakota has held 33 recall votes in the last 12 years, with 22 officials removed, 11 surviving recall votes and two officials resigning. Nebraska has had 43 recalls.

It is not clear what explains this discrepancy or why South Dakota never adopted the recall on the statewide level. Looking at the history, it does not appear that voters ever got an initiative on the ballot that would have expanded the right of recall to state-level officials. In 1913, the Legislature did apparently consider a recall law, though that did not advance to the ballot. In 2021, a group called “South Dakota Voters for the Right to Recall” was certified by the Secretary of State’s Office to start collecting signatures for an initiative. However, the effort seems to have died out without much notice. There was also a bill during the most recent legislative session to allow recalls for school board members, but it failed. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, school board members have been a popular target of recalls nationwide.


Hawaii: Look back at 1985 Honolulu City Council recall

The discussion of a Honolulu City Council recall has led to this look back on a 1985 recall (which may be the last one in the state). Three Councilmembers, George Akahane (12,052-6849), Toraki Matsumoto (8,854-7,896) and Rudy Pacarro (6,620-6,539) were ousted for switching parties from Democrats to Republicans and kicking out once and future Congresswoman Patsy Mink as council chair. President Reagan appeared in ads to defend the idea of party-switching, but all for naught, as all three were ousted. The GOP spent $250,000 on the recall and the Democrats spent $60,000.

There was discussion of a lawsuit over a provision banning recall officials from running for the office again for two years. No idea what happened there.

Florida: Crescent City Commissioner ousted in recall vote

Voters ousted Crescent City Commissioner Cynthia Burton 180-126. The issue is complaints about a sunshine law violation, though it was over a vote to abolish the police department (which took place two years ago). A former mayoral candidate, Craig Oates, is leading the effort.

There was previously failed recall against another Commissioner, Judith West, over the same vote.

Michigan: Petitions taken out against three Eagle Township officials

Petitions have now been taken out against Eagle Township Supervisor Patti Schafer, Treasurer Kathy Oberg and Trustee Richard Jones. The recall against Schafer was over signing an non-disclosure agreement as part of a factory development and needs about 450 signatures to get to the ballot. It looks like six petitions have been filed, but since the stories are locked off, we'll wait to find out more.

California: Boudin not running to regain SF District Attorney slot

Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, ousted in a recall last year, will not be running for reelection. Boudin has been named executive director of UC Berkeley Law's Criminal Law and Justice Center.

Oregon: Recall effort attempted against RNC Member

Oregon Republican National Committee Member Solomon Yue is facing a recall effort though the rules seem to be a little unclear. Petitioners claim that about 60% of active Republican county parties signed the petition.

Petitions claim that Yue has undermined RNC Chairs in the past, including supporting a challenge to current RNC chair Ronna McDaniel. There are also questions of "loyalty" which seems based on the fact that he was born in China. Yue, who has been in office for six terms, claims that he is being targeted because of his support for Donald Trump. One of the supporters of the recall effort, fellow RNC National Committee Member Tracy Honl, voted for McDaniel and notes that she is also a Trump supporter. 

A recall may be scheduled for June 3. 

Michigan: Petitions language rejected against two Caro Area District Library members; new set taken out

The first set of petitions against Caro Area District Library members Stacy Crutchfield and Jordyn Nordstrom have been rejected, and a second petition effort has now been started.

The recall is over claims of violation of privacy. The lead petitioner claims that she complained about inappropriate books for children which should be removed from the children's section (and focused on that this shouldn't be considered support for a book ban). The petitioner claims that her information was not kept confidential, in violation of the library policy.

Petitioners would need 1193 signatures to get on the ballot.

Update: Language was now approved.

Colorado: Broomfield Recall effort challenged over claims of false information

The recall effort against Broomfield City Councilmember Todd Cohen is being challenged on claims that the petitions contain false information. Petitioners seem to have gotten the needed signatures -- they handed in 1356 signatures, 1246 were verified. 1083 were needed.

The recall is over his support for two gun control ordinances that passed, one of which required serialized numbers to prevent ghost guns and banning open carry. Petitioners are also complaining about a water tank bill and homelessness. Another councilmember, Heidi Henkel, was also targeted, but since she is up for reelection, it seems like there is no real effort against her.

The anti-recall group is citing a potential cost of $76,000 for the recall.

MIT Undergraduate President kicked out in recall election

MIT Undergraduate Association President David Spicer was kicked out in a recall vote, with 93% of the students voting yes. 36% cast ballots. Spicer ill be replaced by Andre Hamelberg.

The recall was over Spicer's support for a campus postering campaign using controversial comments in favor of free speech. Note that the note was sent via Instagram.