Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Anthony Burfoot recall, Norfolk, Virginia (2017)
| Norfolk City Treasurer recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Virginia Virginia recall laws City official recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Norfolk, Virginia, to recall City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot from his position was launched in January 2016. The recall effort ended when Burfoot was removed from office on April 24, 2017, after his sentencing in a federal corruption trial.[1]
Recall organizers submitted a recall petition to the Norfolk Circuit Court, which was certified for circulation on February 3, 2016. These petitions were returned with signatures to city officials in June 2016.[2][3] The city voter registrar verified enough signatures in June 2016 to send the recall to a circuit court hearing at a future date.[4][5]
On August 25, 2016, a circuit court judge ruled that the recall hearing would be delayed until the conclusion of Burfoot's criminal trial.[6] Burfoot was convicted of six felony public corruption and perjury charges on December 9, 2016.[7] On February 17, 2017, Norfolk Circuit Judge Everett Martin ordered Burfoot's suspension from February 20 through an April 21 sentencing hearing.[8] A motion seeking a new trial for Burfoot was dismissed on June 21, 2017.[9]
Recall supporters
The recall effort against Burfoot was initiated following his January 2016 indictment for accepting approximately $500,000 in bribes during his time on the Norfolk City Council. Burfoot pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court. The certified recall petition suggested that Burfoot's legal issues and court-mandated limitations on communications with city officials made him unable to carry out his duties.[2]
Burfoot's trial was postponed on March 15, 2016, and a new trial was scheduled for November 7, 2016. Judge Henry Morgan ruled that the trial be delayed until after the United States Supreme Court ruled on an appeal by former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in a separate case. The court's decision in favor of McDonnell in June 2016 narrowed the definition of an official act, which was an element in the case against Burfoot.[10][11]
On December 13, 2016, the Norfolk City Council voted 8-0 to seek Burfoot's resignation by December 15, 2016. Andrew Sacks, Burfoot's defense attorney, told local media that his client would continue to serve as treasurer through his April 2017 sentencing. The Virginian-Pilot reported on December 16, 2016, that the council was considering cutting Burfoot's salary from $164,000 per year to $105,324 per year if he remained in office.[12]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Virginia
Recall supporters needed at least 4,656 valid signatures from voters in the city to force a recall trial. This total equals 10 percent of the total vote from the last treasurer's election. Organizers submitted 325 petition pages with approximately 5,000 signatures to the voter registrar on March 31, 2016. An additional 1,500 signatures were submitted in June 2016.[3] The final count by city election officials validated 4,670 signatures. State law requires recalls of constitutional officers to be heard before circuit court judges rather than appearing on ballots.[2]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Anthony Burfoot recall 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Recall campaigns in Virginia
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- City official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot permanently removed from office," April 24, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Virginian-Pilot, "Anthony Burfoot recall organizers filed corrected petition," February 3, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Virginian-Pilot, "Burfoot recall backers turn in 5,000 signatures," March 31, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Anthony Burfoot will face recall trial as petition effort succeeds," June 20, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Richmond prosecutors to handle Anthony Burfoot recall trial," June 24, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Bid to recall Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot delayed until after criminal trial," August 25, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Norfolk City Council unanimously calls for Treasurer Anthony Burfoot to resign by Thursday," December 13, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Judge suspends Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot, citing “crimes of dishonesty”," February 17, 2017
- ↑ WAVY, "Judge denies request for new trial in Anthony Burfoot case," June 21, 2017
- ↑ WAVY, "Norfolk judge postpones Burfoot corruption trial," March 15, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Public corruption trial of Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot set to start Nov. 7," July 15, 2016
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot's salary could be cut by more than $54,000 a year," December 16, 2016
