Mark Mathews recall, Keller, Texas (2016)
| Keller Mayor recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 7, 2016 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in Texas Texas recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Keller, Texas, to recall Mayor Mark Mathews from his position was launched in late 2015. Supporters gathered enough signatures to bring the recall to the ballot in May 2016.[1] The recall effort was defeated at the polls.[2]
Recall vote
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A recall election was held on May 7, 2016.[1] Voters were asked to vote yes or no on the following question: "Shall Mark Mathews be removed from the office of mayor by recall?"[1]
| Shall Mark Mathews be removed from the office of mayor by recall? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Recall | 1817 | 46.35% | ||
 Retain | 2103 | 53.65% | ||
Recall supporters
A group of 41 Keller residents initiated a recall against Mathews over conflict-of-interest allegations. The recall petition cited Mathews' support for issuing a city contract to his wife's architecture firm. The group suggested that Mathews should have recused himself from the vote and disclosed his wife's involvement with Sage Group.[1]
The Citizens for Municipal Integrity's website included the following statement:
| “ |
In November, 2015 a petition for the recall of Mark Mathews was circulated by individual citizens and signed by over 2000 Keller residents from all areas of Keller. The individual citizens of Keller did not undertake the recall without legal consultation. The conflicts of interest involve the mayor’s failure to disclose and recuse himself from voting on proposals presented by entities for whom his wife was employed as Office Manager and with whom the mayor had relationships (a former employee of Mathews and the uncle to his step-daughter) The redirecting of public funds involves a tree ordinance violation fine ($38,300) owed to the city’s tree reforestation fund and instead was paid to a private entity (the mayor’s HOA while he was mayor and also was the President of his HOA Advisory Committee). The mayor (in his capacity as HOA Advisory Committee President) was present at his HOA meetings when the $38,300 tree fine was discussed and funded. In his capacity as mayor, he knew the $38,300 was owed to the city and should not have allowed it to be accepted by his HOA. In another tree ordinance violation, the mayor negotiated a deal that significantly reduced a potential $384,000 tree fine down to $30,000 that never went to the tree fund and instead there was a refund to the developing group. The recall petition was submitted to the City of Keller on December 14, 2015 and signatures in excess of the required minimum were verified by the Tarrant County Elections Administration. The recall election will be held on May 7, 2016 in conjunction with the City’s regularly scheduled general election and at no additional cost to the taxpayers of Keller. Early voting begins April 25, 2016. The facts are black and white. Keller deserves honest and transparent city officials. [3] |
” |
| —Citizens for Municipal Integrity (2016), [4] | ||
Recall opponents
The Star-Telegram published the following editorial against the recall of Keller on April 19, 2016:
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The important question is whether Keller should switch leadership again and so abruptly, solely because some of the 1,808 voters who elected Mathews might have changed their minds since 2014. Mathews, 59, has owned a crating-and-packing business and is a former international business logistics executive. In May 2014, he ousted seven-year Mayor Pat McGrail by 239 votes in a city of 42,890 residents. The election divided the city, north against south, with Mathews overwhelmingly winning north Keller and McGrail winning almost as overwhelmingly in the south. Some of those same voters and supporters now find fault with Mathews’ votes on a development proposal; on city business involving a company where his wife, Angela, works; and with a company settlement that benefited his Marshall Ridge neighborhood. Mathews is not accused of violating any law. Still, he would have been better served by abstaining in any matter involving a family member or a settlement benefiting the neighborhood association where he lives. Mayors and council members work under closer public scrutiny than ever. That is by design. Online video archives and public records give voters the tools to keep watch over elected officials and the people’s business. But those tools are meant to help voters take a role in city matters and make wise decisions at election time, not to subject public officials to a weekly thumbs-up, thumbs-down threat of recall. If nothing else, this controversy should make the point that Keller elections are a big deal, and they deserve attention from more than just the various factions that have made civic unrest and political turmoil into a sick personal hobby in recent years. Filing for the 2017 election is eight months away. The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends voting no on the removal of Keller Mayor Mark Mathews. [3] |
” |
| —The Star Telegram (2016), [5] | ||
Response by Mark Mathews
Mathews argued that the petition was erroneous because his actions were not recognized by the state as a conflict of interest. During a city council meeting on December 1, 2015, Mathews noted that Sage Group was not the party receiving the contract but a contractor for Silver Oak Real Estate.[1]
Mathews argued against the recall group's claims on his campaign website:
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In order to force their agenda by way of a recall, this small special interest group had to take their baseless claims to the court of public opinion. So, you be the judge. It’s assumed that after the Special Interest group who’s behind the Recall effort sent all their claims to the various authorities who have jurisdiction over elected officials in Texas such as the Texas Ethics Commission, the State Attorney General, and even the City of Keller Attorney’s office, they all came back saying the same thing — the claims have no merit. Below are the special interest's best arguments on why the Mayor should be removed from office prior to his term ending in May 2017. Special Interest Claim: He financially benefited from a city contract with a company his wife worked for. FACT: The Mayor's wife never worked for a company the city contracted with. She was employed as a non-vested part-time office clerk for a 3rd party subcontractor. Mayor Mathews has never financially benefited from any vote made at City Hall. Special Interest Claim: A private builder was allowed to cut down trees in violation of city ordinance. FACT: The builder realized the mistake and signed an agreement with the City Manager to compensate the HOA with funds necessary to replace the trees. Special Interest Claim: He met privately with a developer to make a deal on a tree ordinance fine. FACT: Absolutely FALSE. Mayor Mathews believes that local government must be transparent and backroom deals have no place in Keller. Special Interest Claim: He personally purchased office furniture without consulting council. FACT: Absolutely FALSE. Any purchases made to furnish city facilities is administered by a separate department. Special Interest Claim: He appoints himself chair of committees. FACT: The Keller City Charter requires the Mayor to chair certain committees. Special Interest Claim: Residents are limited to amount of time he allows them speak. FACT: Any resident who speaks at public meetings is allotted the same amount of time and can speak on as many issues as they have requested. Special Interest Claim: He micro-manages and has cut city staff positions. FACT: Mayor Mathews believes that local government needs to be as efficient and effective as possible. He is committed to making sure taxes are low and that there is no waste at City Hall. [3] |
” |
| —Mark Mathews (2016), [6] | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Texas
Recall supporters submitted 2,085 signatures from city residents during the first week of January 2016. The Keller city secretary verified almost all of the signatures, which exceeded the minimum requirement of approximately 1,400 signatures. This signature threshold represented five percent of registered voters in the city. The secretary presented the approved petitions to the Keller City Council on January 8, 2016, and an election was held during the May 2016 municipal election.[1]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Star-Telegram, "Keller moves closer toward recall election of mayor," January 9, 2016
- ↑ Tarrant County, Texas, "Unofficial Results," accessed May 7, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Citizens for Municipal Integrity, "Home," accessed April 18, 2016
- ↑ The Star-Telegram, "Mood shift in Keller is behind recall of mayor," April 19, 2016
- ↑ Protect Keller, "The Facts," accessed March 25, 2016
