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Kevin Jackson recall, Providence, Rhode Island (2017)
| Providence City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 2, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Rhode Island Rhode Island recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Providence City Councilman Kevin Jackson (D) was recalled from office following his July 2016 indictment for embezzlement.[1] A recall election took place on May 2, 2017, for voters in Ward 3. City resident Tricia Kammerer initiated the effort in September 2016 with the indictment as the primary reason for the recall. Jackson responded by saying that the effort was based on political rather than legal reasoning.[2][3][4] Jackson was first elected to the council in 1994.[5] Learn more about the city council here.
Recall vote
A recall election took place on May 2, 2017.[6] The city charter requires a special election to fill vacancies created by recalls.[7]
| Recall of Kevin Jackson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 1772 | 91.81% | ||
| Retain | 158 | 8.19% | ||
Additional elections
- See also: Rhode Island elections, 2017
The Ward 3 recall election was the only election on the May 2 ballot in Providence. The deadline to register to vote in this election was April 2, 2017. Voters had until April 11, 2017, to apply for mail ballots.[8]
Recall supporters
Kammerer led the recall effort against Jackson due to legal proceedings against the councilman. Jackson was indicted in July 2016 on charges that he embezzled $127,153 from a youth sports team to fund his 2014 campaign. The embezzled money included approximately $67,000 in city donations funded by taxpayers. Jackson was also accused of using $12,000 from his campaign fund to pay for personal expenses. He resigned as majority leader of the city council, though remained a member of the council at the time of petition certification.[2]
Recall opponents
Jackson told WPRI that he wanted to continue serving on the council and believed that the recall effort was based on politics rather than legal reasons.[7]
On October 20, 2016, Jackson filed a lawsuit to block the recall effort in Rhode Island Superior Court. His filing indicated that the city's board of canvassers approved a petition for circulation that included duplicate signatures and the names of residents not registered to vote at the time of signature collection.[9] The board responded to the lawsuit with a hearing on November 4, 2016, to determine the validity of petition signatures. Board members rejected Jackson's challenge to the recall drive at the conclusion of the hearing.[10] On December 28, 2016, the Rhode Island Supreme Court allowed the recall effort to continue by declining to hear Jackson's appeal of a superior court ruling against his October 2016 lawsuit.[11] He pursued another appeal to halt the recall election that was rejected by the Rhode Island Board of Elections on April 11, 2017.[12]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Rhode Island
Kammerer submitted a petition with signatures from at least 300 city voters on September 30, 2016. The petition was approved for circulation by the Providence Board of Canvassers in October 2016. Recall organizers needed to submit approximately 2,000 valid signatures from city voters within 120 days of approval of a petition for circulation to trigger a special election.[2] On February 3, 2017, petitions with 2,600 signatures were submitted to city officials for review. The board of canvassers verified 2,383 signatures on petitions against Jackson on March 3, 2017. The city council was required by Providence's charter to schedule a recall election between 30 and 60 days after the board's verification. A special election date was set by the city council on March 13, 2017.[4][6]
Council map
The map below details the boundaries of Providence's city council wards as of April 3, 2017.
You can navigate the following document by zooming in or out with the + and - buttons and using the vertical scrollbar.
About the office
The Providence City Council consists of 15 members elected by district during federal midterm elections. Council members are tasked with passing an annual budget, considering mayoral appointments, and approving ordinances "to insure the welfare and good order of the city." All 15 members of the council were Democrats as of April 10, 2017.[7][13]
Ward 3 elections
Jackson was first elected to the city council in 1994. The narrowest margin of victory came in 2014, when he defeated write-in candidate Marcus Mitchell by a 55-vote margin. Jackson was unopposed in 2002 and 2010, and defeated Republican challengers by winning at least 80 percent of the vote in 1998 and 2006.
2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Kevin Jackson Incumbent |
50.7% | 1,955 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 49.3% | 1,900 | |
| Total Votes | 3,855 | |||
| Source: State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2014 General Election," December 3, 2014 | ||||
2010
| Providence City Council, Ward 3 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin Jackson Incumbent |
100% | 2,792 | |
| Total Votes | 2,792 | |||
| Source: State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 General Election," accessed April 10, 2017 | ||||
2006
| Providence City Council, Ward 3 General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin Jackson Incumbent |
80.2% | 2,981 | |
| Republican | James W. Kelley III | 19.8% | 734 | |
| Total Votes | 3,715 | |||
| Source: State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2006 General Election," accessed April 10, 2017 | ||||
2002
| Providence City Council, Ward 3 General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin Jackson Incumbent |
100% | 2,897 | |
| Total Votes | 2,897 | |||
| Source: State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2002 General Election," accessed April 10, 2017 | ||||
1998
| Providence City Council, Ward 3 General Election, 1998 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kevin Jackson Incumbent |
84.5% | 2,151 | |
| Republican | Donovan J. Lewis | 15.4% | 393 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 2 | |
| Total Votes | 2,546 | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Recall' 'Kevin Jackson' 'Providence'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Rhode Island
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Providence voters overwhelmingly oust councilman Kevin Jackson," May 2, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 WPRI, "Group seeks to recall embattled Providence councilman," September 30, 2016
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Kevin Jackson recall petitions filed at Prov. City Hall," February 3, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WPRI, "Providence certifies signatures in Councilman Jackson recall," March 3, 2017
- ↑ Providence City Council, "Councilman Kevin Jackson," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rhode Island Public Radio, "Providence City Council Schedules May 2 Election For Possible Recall Of Kevin Jackson," March 13, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 MuniCode, "Providence, RI," accessed April 3, 2017
- ↑ Rhode Island Department of State, "Upcoming Elections," accessed April 3, 2017
- ↑ WPRI, "Providence Councilman Jackson sues to block ‘flawed recall petition’," October 20, 2016
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Recall effort against Providence City Councilman Kevin Jackson to move forward," November 4, 2016
- ↑ Providence Journal, "R.I. Supreme Court declines attempt to halt Kevin Jackson recall effort," December 28, 2016
- ↑ WPRI, "RI Board of Elections dismisses Councilman Jackson’s challenge against recall," April 11, 2017
- ↑ State of Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2014 General Election," December 3, 2014
