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Grass Valley City Council recall, Oregon, 2009
| Grass Valley City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Jim Short |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| August 2009 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in Oregon Oregon recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Grass Valley citizens launched a recall campaign against the Grass Valley City Council in August 2009. Specifically, recall efforts target two of the six council members: city mayor Roger Whitley and council member Jim Short. Whitley and Short have been in office since January 2009.[1]
The recall efforts for both Whitley and Short were approved. There was an 89.8% turnout; a total of 105 ballots submitted.[2]
Election results
| Roger Whitley recall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes
|
53 | 50.48% | ||
| No | 52 | 49.52% | ||
| Total votes | 105 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | % | |||
| Jim Short recall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes
|
54 | 51.43% | ||
| No | 51 | 48.57% | ||
| Total votes | 105 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | % | |||
Reason for the recall
Mayor Roger Whitley
According to the submitted petition, below are some of the reasons listed for the recall:[1]
- Promotion of unwise fiscal projects
- Enacting projects that affect citizen's property
- Suppressing council members' opinions
- Moving forward with projects without outside opinion from citizens and council
- Suppressing citizens' opinions (flyers/notices)
- Not researching alternative projects or ideas
Council member Jim Short
According to the submitted petition, below are some of the reasons listed for the recall:[1]
- Disregard for citizens' opinions
- Conflict of interest in city projects
- Not researching alternative projects or ideas
- Enacting projects that affect citizen's property
Council response
Mayor Roger Whitley
In response to the filed recall petition Whitley said, "With the wind towers and race track, Sherman County is going through some drastic changes. In the end, that is what this recall appears to be about — change. As public officials, the city council and mayor must stay ahead of these changes and manage them. If we don’t, these changes will manage us."[1]
Council member Jim Short
In response to the filed petition Short said, "Having moved from a town where the cost of city services was out of control, we are both very concerned about this issue." Additionally, Short denies any conflict of interest on city projects relating to the Oregon Raceway Park and added that he is also concerned about the cost of city services. Short said that his desire for the town is to "see growth."[1]
Path to the ballot
According to the Sherman County Clerk Jenine McDermid recall supporters are required to submit a minimum of 22 valid signatures in order to place the measure on the ballot. On August 4, 2009 McDermid said that the group filed 25 valid signatures. A grand total of 29 signatures were submitted.[1]
See also
Footnotes
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