Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Mark Dixon recall, Pierce County Public Schools, Georgia (2015)
| Pierce County Public Schools Board recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2015 Recalls in Georgia Georgia recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
A recall effort to remove Mark Dixon from his position as District 5 representative and chairman of the Pierce County Public Schools came to a quick end when Dixon resigned from the seat just hours after reports were published regarding investigations of molestation charges against him.[1]
On February 18, 2015, a local news story revealed that Dixon had been the focus of an ongoing molestation investigation, which alleged that Dixon provided underaged boys with drugs in exchange for sexual acts in the early 2000s. However, the Georgia statute of limitations prevents persons from being charged with crimes that occurred more than seven years ago, and these allegations had only come to light in the summer of 2014.[2] The investigation into the charges was known to the school district since 2014. District Superintendent Terri DeLoach stated that the district was advised by its attorney not to announce it to the public due to the preliminary stage of the investigation and the fact that no charges had been filed.[1]
Because Dixon could not be indicted over the charges, neither the school district nor even Governor of Georgia Nathan Deal (R) could forcibly remove him from his school board position. If Dixon had not resigned, the only way to remove him would have been to hold a recall election.[2]
Dixon resigned on February 19, 2015, and Gov. Deal accepted his resignation the same day.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Georgia
A recall effort against Dixon never moved forward due to his resignation shortly after the revelation of the accusations against him. The Pierce County Board of Elections stated that no special election would be held to fill the vacancy on the board created by Dixon's resignation. The seat was filled by Linda Zechmann, who was appointed by remaining board members Jack Saussy in District 1, Lanny David Williams in District 2, Jimmy Lynn in District 3 and Duward Boatright in District 4.[3]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Mark + Dixon + Pierce + County + Public + Schools + recall"
See also
- Pierce County Public Schools, Georgia
- Recall campaigns in Georgia
- Political recall efforts, 2015
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Action News Jax.com, "Pierce County Schools superintendent says attorney advised district not to reveal molestation allegations right away," February 19, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Action News Jax.com, "Pierce County school leader accused of molesting children, won’t face charges," February 18, 2015
- ↑ Action News Jax.com, "Pierce County school leader resigns following child molestation allegations," February 19, 2015
.svg.png){kind=small} |
State of Georgia Atlanta (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
