City council recall, Palmer, Alaska (2021-2022)
| Palmer city council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Jill Valerius |
| Recall status |
Did not go to a vote (Berberich) |
| Recall election date |
| April 19, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Alaska Alaska recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
A recall election for three members of the city council—Brian Daniels, Jill Valerius, and Sabrena Combs—was scheduled for April 19, 2022, in Palmer, Alaska.[1][2] Voters approved the recall against all three officials.[3]
A previous campaign to recall the three officials, in addition to City Councilmember Julie Berberich—ended unsuccessfully after the city clerk rejected the four sets of recall petitions in September 2021.[4]
Recall vote
Daniels recall
Brian Daniels recall, 2022
Brian Daniels lost the Palmer City Council recall election on April 19, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
57.2
|
498 | ||
No |
42.8
|
373 | |||
Total Votes |
871 | ||||
|
|
Valerius recall
Jill Valerius recall, 2022
Jill Valerius lost the Palmer City Council recall election on April 19, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
56.9
|
493 | ||
No |
43.1
|
373 | |||
Total Votes |
866 | ||||
|
|
Combs recall
Sabrena Combs recall, 2022
Sabrena Combs lost the Palmer City Council recall election on April 19, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
57.4
|
499 | ||
No |
42.6
|
371 | |||
Total Votes |
870 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Supporters of the recall campaign included residents Cindy Hudgins and Kristie Mercer.[4] Organizers alleged that Berberich, Daniels, Valerius, and Combs had violated the Open Meetings Act by participating in the Facebook group Mat-Su Moms for Social Justice in 2020.[5]
Recall opponents
After the first round of petitions was rejected, Berberich commented, "I’m pleased to hear that all four recall petitions were rejected. I think we can all see this for exactly what it was, timely defamation, right before the city election. Unfortunately, we had to waste valuable tax payers’ dollars, in addition to the misuse of [Palmer Clerk Designee] Kristie Smithers’ time."[4]
Daniels commented on the recall campaign, saying, "I certainly don’t think petty recalls like this are necessary. ... This is a massive waste of our time, our resources, our money, if you really — especially on an issue like this — if you don’t like us run against us. We don’t need to be wasting time and money on this." [2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Alaska
Organizers submitted petitions against Daniels, Valerius, and Combs on January 11, 2022. Organizers needed to collect 169 signatures on each petition in order for a special recall election to be scheduled.[1]
A prior recall attempt ended unsuccessfully after Palmer Clerk Designee Kristie Smithers rejected petitions against Daniels, Valerius, Combs, and Berberich in September 2021. Berberich's petition was rejected because, at the time, she had fewer than 180 days remaining in her term. Combs' petition was rejected because it did not contain the signatures of ten verified municipal voters, among other reasons.[4]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Alaska
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, "Recall petitions filed on three Palmer council members over speaking to social justice group in private setting," January 19, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alaska's News Source, "Early voting underway in Palmer recall election," April 5, 2022
- ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Palmer residents vote to recall 3 council members over closed Facebook group participation," April 23, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Frontiersman, "Palmer Council recall petitions rejected," September 21, 2021
- ↑ Frontiersman, "Palmer Council to Investigate Alleged Open Meetings Violations," September 10, 2021
