Karen Weaver recall, Flint, Michigan (2017)
| Flint Mayor recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| November 7, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver retained her office in a recall election against 17 candidates on November 7, 2017. The recall was initiated in response to Weaver's support for a waste management contract opposed by the city council.[1] Recall organizer and mayoral candidate Arthur Woodson filed petition language with the Genesee County Clerk on February 24, 2017. The county clerk's office received approximately 8,848 signatures from recall organizers on June 30, 2017, and the city clerk certified 5,951 signatures as valid.[2]
Woodson needed to submit at least 5,750 valid signatures to advance the recall effort. Weaver filed a challenge to the county's certification on July 31, 2017, that questioned the validity of approximately 1,200 signatures.[3] On August 3, 2017, Gleason announced that 5,870 signatures remained valid after the challenge, allowing the recall to reach the ballot.[4] Woodson's February 24 petition was the fourth recall petition against Weaver between November 2016 and February 2017. Click here to read about previous efforts to recall Weaver. Weaver became the city's first female mayor when she defeated incumbent Dayne Walling for the office in November 2015.[5] Weaver served until the conclusion of her four-year term in 2019.
Recall vote
A recall election took place on November 7, 2017. Candidates were required to submit 40 valid signatures from city voters or pay $100 to qualify for the ballot. Weaver appeared on the ballot with other candidates due to a 2012 state law eliminating two-step ballots that separated the recall question from the replacement vote.[6] The following candidates appeared on the ballot:[7]
- ☑ Karen Weaver (i)
- ☐ Scott Kincaid
- ☐ Arthur Woodson
- ☐ David Davenport
- ☐ Chris Del Morone
- ☐ Woody Etherly Jr.
- ☐ Anderson Fernanders
- ☐ Ray Hall
- ☐ Ronald Higgerson
- ☐ Brent Jaworski
- ☐ Ellery Johnson
- ☐ Sean MacIntyre
- ☐ David Meier
- ☐ Anthony Palladeno Jr.
- ☐ Don Pfeiffer
- ☐ Jeffrey Shelley
- ☐ Al Wamsley
- ☐ Angela Ward
Results
| Mayor of Flint Recall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Karen Weaver (i) | 7632 | 56.45% | ||
 Scott Kincaid | 4426 | 32.73% | ||
| Don Pfeiffer | 826 | 6.11% | ||
| Arthur Woodson | 341 | 2.52% | ||
| Anthony Palledeno Jr. | 162 | 1.2% | ||
| David Davenport | 134 | 0.99% | ||
| Election results via: Genesee County Election's Office (Accessed: November 7, 2017) | ||||
Recall supporters
Arthur Woodson
Woodson filed petition language with the county clerk in February 2017 that focused on Weaver's support for an emergency waste contract with Rizzo Environmental Services. Woodson claimed that Weaver failed to keep promises to remedy his concerns made during a meeting on January 27, 2017.[8]
Woodson filed and withdrew the following language in January 2017:
| “ |
Mayor Karen Weaver used the emergency purchase waste collection services to give a contract to Rizzo Environmental Service(s), while signing an extension with Republic Waste Services, causing the tax payers to pay two waste collection services.[9][10] |
” |
| —Arthur Woodson (2017) | ||
Alex Harris
Harris filed the following language with the county clerk in November 2016:[11]
| “ |
KAREN WEAVER SHALL BE REMOVED FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR OF FLINT FOR: *VIOLATING THE PUBLIC TRUST * ABUSE OF OFFICE * MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC/TAXPAYER MONIES. *** Specifically: |
” |
| —Alex Harris (2016) | ||
Harris' second petition focused on the city's waste management issue and Weaver's authorization of $4,500 to City Councilman Eric Mays to settle a claim without approval by the council.[12] Both petitions were rejected by the county board of electors during clarity hearings.
Recall opponents
Weaver made the following statement following the county election board's approval of recall language on March 8, 2017:
| “ |
The devil is busy and I can’t help what people do. I just decided I have to keep focused on what I’m supposed to do as an elected official. People can do whatever they want to do.[13][10] |
” |
| —Karen Weaver (2017) | ||
Weaver's July 31 challenge to the certified petition signatures argued that irregularities in dates and handwriting patterns compromised the work done by city and county election officials.[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
State law requires the county board of electors to approve recall language before petitions are circulated. This approval takes place during a clarity hearing, which determines if the proposed recall language is factual and clear enough for voters to understand the reasons for recall.[14] Woodson needed to gather and submit 5,750 valid signatures to force an election.[9] The county clerk's office received 8,848 signatures from recall organizers on June 30, 2017, and the city clerk certified 5,951 signatures as valid.[15] In Michigan, the county clerk receives recall petitions for initial review before handing over documents to the city clerk for final review.
On August 17, 2017, Weaver filed a motion asking Judge Judith Fullerton to determine if the recall certification process was valid. Weaver's filing was based on comments made by Genesee County Clerk John Gleason after certification implying that some signatures may have been altered after signature gathering was completed. The motion also asks Fullerton to decide whether Councilman Scott Kincaid can run for re-election to his current office and in the recall election.[16] On August 22, 2017, Weaver filed a complaint asking Judge Geoffrey Neithercut to rescind his declaration of a recall election on the grounds that Gleason ignored evidence of illegal behavior.[17] Weaver dropped her complaints about the recall process on August 31, 2017.[18]
The following timeline details the development of the recall effort against Weaver:
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| November 15, 2016 | Alex Harris filed first petition language[11] |
| November 29, 2016 | County board of electors rejected first petition during clarity hearing[19] |
| December 16, 2016 | Alex Harris filed second petition language[12] |
| December 28, 2016 | County board of electors rejected second petition during clarity hearing[20] |
| January 23, 2017 | Arthur Woodson filed third petition language[9] |
| January 27, 2017 | Arthur Woodson withdrew third petition from consideration[21] |
| February 24, 2017 | Arthur Woodson filed fourth petition language[8] |
| March 8, 2017 | County board of electors approved fourth petition for circulation[13] |
| March 17, 2017 | Karen Weaver filed an appeal to the county board's approval[22] |
| April 24, 2017 | Judge Geoffrey Neithercut rejected Weaver's appeal[23] |
| June 30, 2017 | Arthur Woodson filed approximately 9,000 signatures to the county clerk[15] |
| July 21, 2017 | City clerk verified 5,951 signatures as valid[24] |
| July 31, 2017 | Karen Weaver filed protest to approximately 1,200 signatures certified by the county[3] |
| August 3, 2017 | County clerk verified 5,870 signatures as valid following Weaver's challenge[4] |
| August 15, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline for recall |
| August 31, 2017 | Weaver withdrew her legal motion seeking an end to the recall election |
| November 7, 2017 | Recall election[4] |
Recent news
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See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Genesee County, Michigan, "November 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Michigan Radio, "Backers drop off Weaver recall petition signatures with county clerk," June 30, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 MLive, "More than 1,200 signatures challenged in recall against Flint mayor," July 31, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 MLive, "Recall against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver will be on November ballot," August 3, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Karen Weaver unseats Dayne Walling to win Flint mayor," November 3, 2015
- ↑ MLive, "Meet the 18 candidates running for Flint mayor," October 17, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "One candidate dropped as field is finalized for Flint mayor recall vote," August 15, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 MLive, "Recall language filed against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver for fourth time," February 28, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 MLive, "Recall language filed against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver for third time," January 23, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 MLive, "Flint resident files recall petition language to remove Mayor Karen Weaver," November 15, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 MLive, "Recall language submitted a second time against Flint mayor," December 19, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Michigan Radio, "Board approves recall petition language against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver," March 8, 2017
- ↑ Ann Arbor Chronicle, "Act No. 417," December 20, 2012
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 MLive, "Flint Mayor Weaver has until July 31 to challenge recall signatures," July 21, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Flint Mayor Karen Weaver challenges recall in court," August 17, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Flint Mayor Weaver asks judge to order county clerk to call off recall," August 23, 2017
- ↑ Michigan Radio, "Flint's mayor drops legal challenge to recall election," August 31, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Recall language against Flint mayor revoked, man says he will file again," November 29, 2016
- ↑ MLive, "Recall language to remove Flint Mayor Karen Weaver rejected a second time," December 28, 2016
- ↑ MLive, "Third effort to remove Flint Mayor Karen Weaver is withdrawn," January 27, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Flint mayor appeals recall efforts over Rizzo trash-hauling," March 20, 2017
- ↑ MLive, "Recall against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver can move forward, judge rules," April 24, 2017
- ↑ Flint Beat, "Nearly 6,000 signatures verified to move forward with recall efforts against Flint’s mayor," July 21, 2017
