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Jackie Thompson recall, Whitehall, Ohio, 2009
| Whitehall City Council recall |
|---|
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in Ohio Ohio recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Efforts to recall City Councilwoman Jackie Thompson was launched on August 25, 2009. The recall effort began in light of the contentious relationship between Thompson and residents, however, some argue that the recall began because of Thompson's support for legislation to ban pit bulls in the city.[1]
Election result
The recall was approved.[2] According to the ballot language, a "yes" vote is a vote to keep Thompson in office, a no vote would be a vote to remove her from office.
| Jackie Thompson Recall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No
|
2194 | 74.78% | ||
| Yes | 740 | 25.22% | ||
| Total votes | 2934 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | 30.70% | |||
Background
Cheryl Jo Thompson, the leader of the recall, said, "This is not about pit bulls, but about taking the city back out of the hands of Jackie Thompson." Earlier this year, C.J. Thompson began a blog which includes filmed portions of the city council's meetings "to alert all residents of (Jackie Thompson's) ridiculous and outrageous behavior."[3] However, Councilwoman Thompson said that she isn't worried about the recall. "If the pit bull people want to try and throw me out, so be it. I will still attend council meetings, I will still advocate for government reform and to turn around our neighborhoods and protect our citizens," said Thompson.
Thompson's response
In response to the campaign to remove her from office, Thompson mailed out approximately 2,200 fliers to residents that voted absentee in the November 2008 election. The fliers, paid for by Thompson’s own money, show derogatory comments from opponents, some from blogs that have been dedicated to the recall effort and others from web forums. Thompson states on the fliers: "Are these the people you want setting the agenda for Whitehall? Vote 'Yes' to keep Thompson on council.” Thompson plans on hand-delivering extra fliers.[4]
Path to the ballot
In order to place the recall on the November ballot, recall supporters were required to collect a minimum of 403 valid signatures.[5]
See also
External links
- City of Whitehall
- Citizen Journalist CJT Whitehall, OH, blog created by C.J. Thompson
Footnotes
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Whitehall councilwoman might face recall vote," September 11, 2009
- ↑ Unofficial Results
- ↑ Columbus Local News, "Efforts to bounce Thompson from Whitehall council in motion," August 26, 2009
- ↑ Columbus Local News, "Recall effort forges ahead in Whitehall council chambers," October 7, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ 10TV, "City Councilwoman Not Worried About Recall Campaign," August 26, 2009
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