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City council recall, Celina, Ohio (2021)
| Celina City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Eric Lochtefeld June Scott Mike Sovinski |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Ohio Ohio recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall city council members Myron Buxton, Eric Lochtefeld, June Scott, and Mike Sovinski did not qualify for the ballot in Celina, Ohio. The Mercer County Board of Elections members voted against certifying the recall on the grounds that the city charter did not contain a provision allowing for the recall of municipal officials.[1][2]
Recall supporters
Organizers initiated the recall campaign after the four city council members voted on November 22, 2021, against outlawing abortion in the city. The proposed ordinance would have imposed up to a $2,500 fine and 12 months of prison time for those who performed an abortion within Celina, Ohio.[1]
The petition filers were Ken Lange, Tom Sanford, and Sarah Bellman.[3] Bellman said, “If our elected officials are not listening to us, if they are having backroom meetings with their minds already made up, what are we left to do but to recall those who are not representing us?”[1]
The grounds for recall listed in the petition appear below:[3]
| “ |
Disregarding the stated will of the majority of the residents of the City of Celina; sending the wrong message to the born children in Celina regarding the value of human life and the worthiness of the protection of life; putting unborn children at risk of being murdered within the city limits; and putting businesses at risk of having an abortion facility located next door to their place of business.[4] |
” |
Recall opponents
Buxton and Scott declined to make a statement to The Daily Standard. Sovinski said that recall organizers should try to address their concerns through a ballot measure campaign, rather than a recall.[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Ohio
Organizers submitted signed petitions to the Mercer County Board of Elections on November 29, 2021. They were required to collect 116 signatures, which represented 15% of the votes cast at the most recent municipal election.[1]
Mercer County Board of Elections members voted against certifying the recall in December 2021 on the grounds that the city charter did not contain a provision allowing for the recall of municipal officials.[2]
According to the Ohio Secretary of State's office, as of 2021, recall was possible only in Ohio municipalities that had adopted a recall process as part of a limited home rule form of government. A city adopts limited home rule when it has "a charter or one of the plans of government outlined in Chapter 705 of the Revised Code."[5] City law director George Moore said, "To the best of my knowledge, we have always been a statutory city that has never adopted a charter form of government."[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 LimaOhio.com, "Petitioners seek to oust 4 Celina lawmakers," November 30, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LimaOhio.com, "Recall petitions against Celina councilors are rejected," December 23, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Daily Standard, "Petitions aim to oust 4 from city council," December 20, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Ballot Questions and Issues Handbook," accessed December 8, 2021
