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Don Williamson recall, Flint, Michigan, 2009
| Flint Mayor recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Don Williamson from his position as mayor of Flint, Michigan was headed for the February 24, 2009 ballot, but was made unnecessary by the resignation of Williamson on February 09, 2009.[1] About 14,300 people signed a petition to recall him.[2][3][4]
The recall committee was called Committee for a Better Flint.[5]
Williamson was in his second term as mayor of the city. He is a Democrat who said he intended also to run for Governor of Michigan.[6]
Reasons for recall
The primary reason put forth by recall supporters for wanting to see Williamson out of office was Flint's budget. It finished the 2007-08 budget year with an $8.3 million deficit. His opponents say he overspent and kept cronies working rather than saving police jobs.[3]
Williamson was also said to have misrepresented the city's financial condition by several million dollars.[6]
Police chief woes
In early January, six weeks before the Williamson recall vote, it was announced that Flint City's interim police chief David Dicks faced federal charges of theft of government funds. Dicks was on administrative leave, but Williamson defended him.[7]
Federal prosecutors say that Dicks charged taxpayers twice by claiming to be two different places at the same time. David E. Wendt, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Labor, said in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court that Dicks was paid more than $46,000 in federal funds for work he claimed to do for City Security, a contractor for Career Alliance Inc., but that was not performed.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ [http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/02/don_williamsons_resignation_wh.html The Flint Journal, "Don Williamson's resignation: What's next? " February 09, 2009]
- ↑ MLive, "Recall election appears likely against Flint City Councilwoman Jackie Poplar after challenge fails to disqualify enough petition signatures," December 22, 2008
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Flint Journal, "Recall elections set for Flint Mayor Don Williamson, Jackie Poplar and other Genesee County officials," January 2, 2009
- ↑ Flint Journal, "Is Flint Mayor Don Williamson done like dinner?" January 14, 2009
- ↑ MLive, "Recall effort against Flint Mayor Don Williamson gathers 75 people at kickoff meeting," August 14, 2008 (dead link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chicago Tribune, "Flint voters to decide on mayor's recall," January 15, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Flint Journal, "Charges against Flint's police chief come just weeks before recall election against Mayor Don Williamson," January 14, 2009
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