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Bob Hemen recall, Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District, Missouri (2021)
| Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Missouri Missouri recall laws Special district recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Bob Hemen from his position on the Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District board in Missouri did not go to a vote in 2021.
The recall effort began in May 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect 788 signatures.[1]
Recall supporters cited deadlock and dysfunction on the board as reasons for the recall. Hemen said he thought the reasons for recall were "[h]atred, vengeance, and a big cover-up."[1]
Hemen was elected to a four-year term on the five-member board in 2018.[1][2]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Stephanie Kerhbiel, a citizen of Sunrise Beach. She cited deadlock and dysfunction on the board as her reasons for recall. “Basically, Director Hemen hasn’t been doing the job he’s elected to do,” Kerhbiel said. “And by not doing the job he’s elected to do, he puts not only the community at risk, but also the firefighters at risk physically and the district at risk financially.”[1]
Kerhbiel alleged that Hemen had refused to attend board meetings, blocked a yearly budget for the district, and blocked requests to replace outdated equipment.[1]
Recall opponents
When asked by LakeExpo why he thought someone would start a recall against him, Hemen said, "Hatred, vengeance, and a big cover-up."[1]
Hemen said he had missed board meetings due to a conflict of interest involving a lawsuit and due to scheduling conflicts when the other board members would not agree to change the time of the meeting. He said that the budget had not yet been passed, calling it a non-issue.[1]
Hemen also said that the request for new gear had been questioned because of the time it would take to receive new custom gear. “But it sure was a nice political point that it makes it sound like I’m denying the safety of our employees by not having new gear when, fact is, did they really need new gear?” Hemen said.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Missouri
To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect 788 signatures.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
