Diane Polangin recall, Bowie, Maryland (2017)
| Bowie City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| December 19, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Maryland Maryland recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Bowie City Councilwoman Diane Polangin was recalled from office in an election on December 19, 2017. Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government initiated the effort in response to Polangin's support for a new apartment complex at the Marketplace shopping center. Polangin responded that she negotiated to reduce the size of the apartment complex in response to community concerns about traffic.[1]
Polangin was one of four candidates who filed to run in the March 12 special election to fill the vacancy.[2]
Recall vote
A recall election took place on December 19, 2017. Voters in District 2 were asked the question, "Do you vote to recall from her city elected office District 2 council member Diane Polangin?"[1] The city charter requires a special election to fill a vacancy created by a recall election.
| Do you vote to recall from her City elective office District 2 Councilmember Diane Polangin?[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 1118 | 69.23% | ||
| Retain | 497 | 30.77% | ||
Recall supporters
A group called Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government initiated the recall effort due to Polangin's vote in favor of a new apartment complex at the Marketplace shopping center. The complex was approved with four affirmative votes out of the seven council members. Recall supporter Larry Swank told local media that petition signers also expressed opposition to the Melford mixed-use development project and a planned 400-unit housing development.[4]
Recall opponents
Polangin provided the following response to the recall effort:
| “ |
I’ve done my job and done it well. It is what it is and everyone has the right to be unhappy. But now every time somebody makes a vote that people don’t like, they can say ‘Let’s recall them.’ That’s not good.[1][5] |
” |
| —Diane Polangin (2017) | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Maryland
The Bowie City Charter requires signatures from at least 25 percent of the registered voters in a targeted official's district to require a recall election. The Bowie Citizens for Accountable Government needed to submit approximately 2,800 signatures to city officials. The city clerk verified 2,300 valid signatures for the first petition in June 2017, which did not meet the legal requirements for a recall.[4][6]
A second effort was initiated in September 2017.[7] Recall organizers submitted a petition with approximately 3,000 signatures on November 8, 2017, and the city clerk verified enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election.[1]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Capital Gazette, "Recall election for Bowie council member set for Dec. 19," November 21, 2017
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Polangin among four who have filed to run for Bowie council seat," January 29, 2018
- ↑ City of Bowie, Maryland, "District 2 Votes to Recall Councilmember Diane Polangin," December 19, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Capital Gazette, "Attempt to trigger recall election could hinge on voter rolls," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "District 2 recall effort fails; organizers pledge to try again," June 13, 2017
- ↑ Capital Gazette, "Bowie citizens' group begins another recall effort," September 26, 2017
