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Clarence Dupnik recall, Pima County, Arizona (2011)
| Pima County Sheriff recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2011 Recalls in Arizona Arizona recall laws Sheriff recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Pima County, Arizona, to recall Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was launched in January 2011.[1] The recall effort was abandoned in April 2011.[2]
Dupnik, a Democrat, began serving as Pima County's sheriff in 1980.[3] He retired from his position as sheriff in 2015.[4]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by resident Dan Baltes in response to comments made by Dupnik following a shooting in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011. The shooting left six people dead and 13 wounded, including Democratic U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.[1][5]
Following the shooting, Dupnik said, "When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous."[5]
The Pima County Tea Party Patriots group set a rally for January 28 to show support for the recall effort.[6] The organization said they felt Dupnik should be removed from office for "politicizing the shootings, blaming free speech for the crime without evidence, failing to protect Giffords, failing to recuse himself from the investigation, and embarrassing the community in front of the nation."[6]
Recall opponents
In his response to the recall effort, Dupnik said, "I don't think anybody likes criticism. I've never met one person in my life who enjoys being criticized, including me. But on the other hand, people have a right to what they feel. And I have a right to feel what I do. And god bless them."
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona
To force a recall election, recall supporters would have needed to collect 90,809 valid signatures within 120 days.[7]
Dan Baltes withdrew the recall petition in April 2011 after his brother, Kevin Elliott, accused Baltes of stealing his identity and forging his signature on recall petition paperwork.[2]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Arizona
- Political recall efforts, 2011
- Laws governing recall in Arizona
- Sheriff recalls
External links
- Government website of Pima County, Arizona
- "No Immigration Amnesty", website of recall organizer Dan Baltes
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KGUN-9, "Clarence Dupnik still angry; and still has nation talking," January 17, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tucson Weekly, "Dan Baltes ends his effort to recall Clarence Dupnik after controversy erupts regarding a failed Glenn Beck tour," April 28, 2011
- ↑ National Journal, "Arizona Tea Partiers Seek to Recall Sheriff for 'Politicizing' Giffords Case," January 21, 2011
- ↑ Arizona Daily Star, "Pima County Sheriff Dupnik announces retirement," January 30, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Atlantic, "Quote of the Day: Arizona Sheriff Blames Media for 'Inflaming' Anti-Gov't Hatred," January 9, 2011
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Arizona Daily Star, "Tea Party Patriots plan rally on Jan. 28 to 'Dump Dupnik'," January 21, 2011
- ↑ '"Washington Times, "Outspoken Tucson sheriff faces recall bid," January 20, 2011
