Chip Dutcher and Marvin Block recall, Johnstown, Ohio (2022)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Chip Dutcher and Marvin Block recall
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Officeholders
Chip Dutcher
Marvin Block
Recall status
Recall approved
Recall election date
August 30, 2022
Signature requirement
95 signatures
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