Jimmy Davis and Sal Gullace recall, Bayonne, New Jersey (2016)
| Bayonne Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Sal Gullace |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in New Jersey New Jersey recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
Efforts in Bayonne, New Jersey, to recall Mayor Jimmy Davis and City Councilman Sal Gullace from their positions were launched in April and May 2016. Recall organizers submitted a notification of intention to recall Davis to the Bayonne City Clerk on April 4, 2016.[1] The clerk approved a recall petition for circulation on April 20, 2016.[2]
The recall effort against Davis ended on September 27, 2016, after organizers failed to submit a petition with signatures.[3]
The intention notice for Gullace was submitted on May 16, 2016, and a petition was approved for circulation by the city clerk on May 26, 2016.[4][5] As of December 2016, this recall effort appeared to be abandoned and Ballotpedia discontinued active coverage. Please contact us if new developments occur with this recall effort.
Recall supporters
Michael Alonso, Patrick Desmond, and Donald Baran Jr. filed the notice against Davis due to discontent with development projects in the city. Alonso told NJ.com that residents lacked input on current developments including a proposed Muslim community center on 24th Street.[1]
Jacqueline Force, Ryan Walker, and Mary Curtis filed the notice against Gullace due to concerns about his behavior in office. The notice accused Gullace of disparaging his council ward and inappropriate behavior at meetings.[4] Walker dropped out of the recall committee in July 2016, after discussing his concerns with Gullace.[6]
The approved recall petition against Davis included the following statement from organizers:
| “ |
Recall of James M. Davis is initiated due to the Mayor's abject failure in meeting the needs of the City of Bayonne Citizens and Taxpayers. No Transparency-sued for OPRA violations. Taxes and water increased 2 years in a row; In violation of Ord. #20-16 which requires all civil employees to reside in Bayonne, Mayor Davis turned our town over to Demarco (Bernardsville), Wondowloski (Jersey City), Casais (Roselle Park) and Coffey (Oceanport). Davis brought back the garbage train. Made backroom deals to place a mosque in a residential neighborhood in violation of zoning laws. Davis called us citizens racists. Davis gives tax rebates to Developers yet raised our taxes, waives required fees for PSE&G, yet taxpayers are paying through the nose for taxes and water. No Teachers Contract as promised. Davis ran on an independent school board, then endorses candidates, and sneaks Barry Kushnir in through backroom deals. Rid of Rent Control. Davis has not cleaned up City Hall or the Board of Education; conducted no fiscal audits. Davis failed to alleviate the Bridge conditions and the Turnpike Exchange conditions. Davis allowed North Hudson to take over Health and Animal contracts. Change is now. We cannot afford 2 1/2 more years.[2][7] |
” |
| —Michael Alonso, Patrick Desmond, and Donald Baran Jr. (2016) | ||
Response by Jimmy Davis
Davis told NJ.com that he was surprised by the recall but was not worried about the effort due to public support.[1]
The approved recall petition included the following statement from Davis:
| “ |
The initiation of recall procedure serve the political interests of the very few who would rather see Bayonne move backwards. The accusations of this group are baseless, and wholly inaccurate. Naming a few: The "garbage train" will never come back; I won't allow it. "Backroom deals" are things of the past that play no part in this new era of good government. A retroactive teachers' contract was secured during just the second month of my term, ending years of tension and bad feelings. We've committed to improving parks, roads, and the overall image of Bayonne. We've committed to restoring a sense of community and pride. And, we've opened the doors to development so that the world can see the value our City has. All of this is being done in the name of leaving a better Bayonne for future generations. I'm proud of what we've accomplished, and I'm confident that, together, we will continue to move the City we love in the right direction.[2][7] |
” |
| —Jimmy Davis (2016) | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in New Jersey
State law requires recall organizers to submit sufficient signatures within 160 days of the clerk's approval of a recall petition before a special election is considered. A minimum of 8,178 signatures was required to force an election for mayor, which represents 25 percent of registered voters in the city during the last general election.[1] The deadline for signature submission in the Davis recall was September 27, 2016.[2] A recall for Gullace required submission of at least 2,569 valid signatures from registered voters in the Second Ward by November 2, 2016.[4][5]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 NJ.com, "Group files document to recall Bayonne Mayor Davis," April 4, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 NJ.com, "Group gets green light to launch recall effort against Bayonne mayor," April 24, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Recall effort against Bayonne mayor fails amid infighting by organizers," September 28, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 NJ.com, "Group attempting to recall Bayonne Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace," May 18, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NJ.com, "Recall effort against Bayonne Second Ward Councilman Sal Gullace gets green light," May 27, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Recall committee against Bayonne councilman loses a member," July 12, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
