Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Chip Dutcher and Marvin Block recall, Johnstown, Ohio (2022)
| Chip Dutcher and Marvin Block recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Marvin Block |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| August 30, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Ohio Ohio recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall Mayor Chip Dutcher and City Councilmember Marvin Block was held on August 30, 2022, in Johnstown, Ohio.[1][2] Voters chose to recall Dutcher by a margin of 72% and Block by a margin of 77%.[3]
Recall vote
Chip Dutcher recall
Chip Dutcher recall, 2022
Chip Dutcher lost the Mayor of Johnstown recall election on August 30, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
71.6
|
663 | ||
No |
28.4
|
263 | |||
Total Votes |
926 | ||||
|
|
Marvin Block recall
Marvin Block recall, 2022
Marvin Block lost the Johnstown City Council recall election on August 30, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
76.6
|
712 | ||
No |
23.4
|
218 | |||
Total Votes |
930 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Residents Autumn Sauer and Robert Roberts initiated the recall campaign. Recall supporters alleged that Block had tried to intimidate former Police Chief Abe Haroon into dismissing a mayor's court clerk and police dispatcher from his office. In a complaint filed in February 2022, Haroon wrote, "It was more than implied that if I did not release (the clerk), Mr. Block would dissolve the mayor’s court, remove the police clerk, or dissolve the Johnstown Police Department."[4][1]
Recall organizers also alleged that Block had insinuated that Haroon and Finance Director Dana Steffan were having an affair, which they denied.[1]
Recall supporter Elizabeth Whipple said that Mayor Chip Dutcher had failed to lead the city council effectively. "He is the one presiding over council and should be the one with the most authority to rein in their behavior. ... So, he is part of the problem. It’s a failure of leadership."[1]
Recall opponents
Block said that he would not resign and had not done anything wrong. About the recall campaign, he added, "That’s in our charter and part of the American way. ... I fully support that right and I support my right to defend myself."[1]
Dutcher gave the following comment on the recall campaign: “It’s certainly the right of the voters to file whatever petition they like and I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to defend my seat and defend my actions. ... I’m not afraid of my voters at all. There are important things to focus on and this is just a distraction.”[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Ohio
For a special recall election to be scheduled, organizers needed to collect 95 signatures, which represented 15% of those who voted in the previous municipal election.[1]
Organizers submitted 332 signatures against Block and 305 signatures against Dutcher on July 5. The city council clerk later rejected the signatures on the grounds that, according to the city charter, council members are eligible for recall only after they have "served at least six months of a council term." Organizers initiated the recall campaign about five months into Dutcher and Block's second term in office.[5]
Organizers said they disagreed with the rejection, emphasizing that Dutcher and Block had already served a term. They later submitted a second round of about 140 signatures for each official, and the election was scheduled for August 30, 2022.[2][5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Newark Advocate, "Johnstown voters may be asked to remove mayor, council president via recall election," June 16, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Newark Advocate, "Johnstown recall petitions approved; election scheduled for Aug. 30," August 4, 2022
- ↑ Licking County Board of Elections, "Summary Results Report August 30, 2022 Special Election," accessed August 31, 2022
- ↑ Newark Advocate, "Johnstown removes police chief, names deputy chief as interim during search," May 7, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Newark Advocate, "Briefs: Johnstown recall petitions rejected," July 18, 2022
