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Dawn Anglin and Troy Pieper recall, Ellisville, Missouri (2012)
| Ellisville City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Troy Pieper |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2012 Recalls in Missouri Missouri recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Dawn Anglin and Troy Pieper from their elected position on the Ellisville, Missouri city council was launched in May 2012.[1] The recall was judicially invalidated in September 2012.[2]
Reasons for recall
A group called the Article 9 Alliance organized the recall effort. Liz Schmidt served as the group's chairman.[3] The Article 9 Alliance mobilized in response to the city council's vote to give the Sansone Group tax incentives for a new Walmart location. Anglin and Pieper both voted in favor of the tax incentives, which will award the developer with tax increment financing. The Walmart deal includes the forced eviction of 250 residents of an apartment building.[1]
Path to the ballot
Recall organizers would have needed to collect the signatures of 15% of registered voters. On June 12, recall organizers submitted an official request to initiate the recall process.[4] Recall organizers say their goal was to have a recall election on October 2.[5]
Council considers recall restrictions
In August 2012, the city council announced they would hold a special session to consider changing the rules in the city charter about how city officials can be recalled. City council members considered whether recall supporters should have to come up with specific cause in order to initiate a recall effort.[6] On August 16, the city council dropped the issue, saying it was not the right time to take up the matter.[7]
Lawsuit
On August 27, Ellisville councilman and former Mayor Matt Pirrello filed a lawsuit against the city and five residents, challenging the validity of the recall petition. On September 5, Judge Thomas Prebil ruled that the recall language contained in Ellisville's City Charter is unconstitutional. Prebil issued a permanent injunction preventing any recall activity in Ellisville. The Missouri Constitution requires recall supporters to state a cause for the recall, while the Ellisville City Charter does not require a cause to be stated.[2]
In December 2012, the five residents and recall supporters named in Pirrello's lawsuit requested reimbursement for attorney fees.[8]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CBS St. Louis, "Ellisville Walmart Oppponents Readying Recall Effort," May 9, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, "Recall Language in Ellisville Charter Declared Unconstitutional," September 5, 2012
- ↑ Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, "Ellisville Councilmember: Vote Against Recall Election Not a Conflict of Interest," May 18, 2012
- ↑ Suburban Journals, "Ellisville group seeks recall of council members," June 19, 2012
- ↑ Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, "Concerns Arise Over Push to Recall Ellisville Council," May 9, 2012
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Facing a recall, Ellisville council wants to change the rules," August 15, 2012
- ↑ Fox 2, "Ellisville Recall Effort Fails To Win City Council Support," August 17, 2012
- ↑ Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, "Ellisville Residents Want City to Pay Attorney Fees After Charter Lawsuit," December 6, 2012
