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Dan Rupp recall, Frontier County, Nebraska (2021)
| Frontier County Sheriff recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Nebraska Nebraska recall laws Sheriff recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Dan Rupp (R) from his position as Frontier County Sheriff in Nebraska did not go to a vote in 2021. Recall supporters did not submit petitions by the deadline.[1]
The recall effort began in April 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to collect 312 signatures in 30 days.[2]
Rupp first took office in 1995.[3] He won re-election in 2018 after running unopposed.[4]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Alen Reitz, a resident of Curtis, Nebraska. He said the following about his reasons for recall:[2]
| “ | My main grievances are that we are down to very few deputies and they are stretched so thin, I’m afraid we are going to lose another one. Obviously there’s a problem. He is very seldom in his office. This I know for a fact because I’ve tried many times to go over and communicate with him. He doesn’t return the phone calls, and to me, that’s wrong right there.[5] | ” |
Reitz admitted to dealing with the Frontier County Sheriff and Jail in a personal matter, but he said the recall had nothing to do with a personal grudge. “I could really care less about the man. I care about what he’s not doing. That’s my only concern,” Reitz said.[2]
Recall opponents
In reaction to the recall effort, Rupp said Frontier County was not the only county with hiring problems and high turnover rates. He said it was a nationwide issue as it was "not popular to be a cop right now." He said a recall election could cost the county more than $10,000.[2]
Rupp said he had striven to be fair and honest to the best of his ability.[2] He also said he believed Reitz was seeking revenge over a past felony arrest and jail sentence.[3]
| “ | It is disappointing that a resident of Frontier County would choose to use a recall effort as a personal attack on me instead of discussing his issues with me. All his allegations in his petition are false. I will not respond to unsubstantiated rumors or social media drivel manufactured by him, his relatives and a few keyboard warriors.[3][5] | ” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nebraska
Reitz filed the recall petition with the Frontier County Clerk's Office on April 15, 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect signatures from 312 county residents in 30 days.[2] The number of signatures required was equal to 35% of the votes cast in the 2018 sheriff election.[3]
If signatures had been turned in by the deadline, the county clerk would have had 15 days to verify the signatures. If enough signatures had been verified, the county commission would have had 21 days to schedule a recall election, which would have taken place at least 50 days later. If a recall election had been scheduled, Rupp would have been able to resign from office until 24 days before the election date. If he had been recalled, the county commission would have appointed his replacement.[3]
See also
- Frontier County, Nebraska
- Recall campaigns in Nebraska
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Sheriff recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Darla Walther, Frontier County Clerk," July 13, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 KNOP News 2, "Petition filed in Frontier County to try to remove the sheriff," May 17, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The North Platte Telegraph, "Curtis man files petition in effort to recall Frontier County Sheriff," May 18, 2021
- ↑ Frontier County Clerk, "Summary Report General Election November 6, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
