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Doug Roll recall, Libby, Montana (2016)

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Libby Mayor recall
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Officeholders
Doug Roll
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
See also
Recall overview
Political recall efforts, 2016
Recalls in Montana
Montana recall laws
Mayoral recalls
Recall reports

An effort in Libby, Montana, to recall Mayor Doug Roll from his position was launched in April 2016.[1] Recall organizer Tammy Brown submitted a draft petition to Lincoln County officials on April 13, 2016.[2] The petition was rejected by county officials on April 22, 2016, citing a lack of specific charges against Roll.[3] A second recall petition was rejected by the county on May 4, 2016, because the petition made legal conclusions that can only be made by a court.[4] Brown submitted a third recall petition on June 16, 2016, and county elections officials approved this petition for circulation on June 20, 2016.[5][6] Organizers told local media that 300 signatures were gathered by early August 2016.[7]

On August 4, 2016, the recall effort was paused due to a temporary restraining order. The order was granted after a motion filed on behalf of Roll questioned whether Brown's petition met state legal requirements for placing a recall on the ballot. Roll's motion also argued that agenda items suggested for past city council meetings were rejected because they did not comply with established procedures.[8] On August 25, 2016, Lincoln County Court Judge James Wheelis ruled that signature collection could continue unless Roll posted a $25,000 bond to reinstate the restraining order.[9] Wheelis waved the bond and rejected the grounds for recall in a ruling on September 1, 2016.[10]

Roll resigned from office on September 7, 2016. He stated that his resignation stemmed from an inability by the city council to work with the mayor's office.[11]

Recall supporters

Brown provided the following reasons why she believed Roll should be recalled in her first draft petition:

Doug Roll has violated his oath of office by refusing to follow the direction of the lawfully-elected City Council by refusing to schedule meetings requested by legal votes of council, refusing to list items requested by members of council on the official meeting agendas, and by executing a contract for a city attorney without approval or authority of council. [12]

—Tammy Brown (2016), [2]

Response by Doug Roll

Roll told the Flathead Beacon that the effort was a distraction and that he never broke city or state laws.[1]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Montana

County elections officials are required to approve or reject draft petitions for circulation within one week of submission. A petition was approved for circulation on June 20, 2016. Recall supporters would have needed to collect and submit signatures from at least 329 registered voters in Libby to force a recall election. This total equaled 20 percent of the registered voters from the previous election for the office.[2]

Recent news

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See also

External links

Footnotes