Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
City council recall, Glendale, Arizona (2015)
| Glendale City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Lauren Tolmachoff Bart Turner Jamie Aldama |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2015 Recalls in Arizona Arizona recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Efforts to recall council members Ian Hugh, Lauren Tolmachoff, Bart Turner and Jamie Aldama in Glendale, Arizona, from their positions were launched in June 2015.[1] The recall did not go to a vote after the sponsoring organization pulled its support for the recall.[2]
Recall supporters
The members were targeted for recall following a council vote to terminate the lease of the Phoenix Coyotes. Proponents said that the decision was made hastily and without any concern for replacing the revenue, visitors or outreach programs the team has done for the city.[1] Larry Feiner, the recall organizer, said:
| “ | I’ve heard (the argument) for cancelling the Coyotes contract uses the $15,000,000 amount as ‘the’ amount Glendale is paying the Coyotes. They always ignore the revenue coming back to the city to defray that initial investment. Also, every one of them refuse to acknowledge that the minimum 600,000 people that visit Glendale for Coyotes games would have no beneficial financial impact to the city and it’s no matter if they disappeared overnight.[1][3] | ” |
Recall opponents
Response by Hugh
Hugh defended his vote on the stadium deal, citing street repairs, emergency personnel staffing and other needs as taking higher priority. He also pointed to the history between the team and city, saying:
| “ | Let’s not forget that a few years ago the (then) Phoenix Coyotes went into bankruptcy and reneged on a 30-year deal the city had with them. Because of that bankruptcy, the city spent nearly $3 million on attorneys’ fees and an additional $50 million we gave to the National Hockey League when they ran the team. Also, with that previous deal, the city made a profit of around $5 million a year.[1][3] | ” |
On July 23, 2015, Hugh announced his intent to run for re-election regardless of if he was recalled or not.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona
Petitioners needed to collect between 750 and 2,200 signatures to move the recall forward. No signature filing deadline was announced.[1] On August 15, 2015, the group GlendaleFirst! announced they were ending their sponsorship of the recall effort and so the recall ended.[2] GlendaleFirst! released the following statement:
| “ | We are satisfied the city has endorsed a new short-term relationship with the Arizona Coyotes that is currently in the best interest of all involved. We’re hoping sincere efforts result in a long-term agreement being reached between the city and the Arizona Coyotes in the near future.[2][3] | ” |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Glendale Star, "Local resident pulls papers for recall attempt on four councilmembers," June 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Glendale Star, "Recall efforts end against Tolmachoff, Turner and Hugh," August 20, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Glendale Star, "Hugh announces re-election bid," July 23, 2015
