Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Mayor and city council recall, Granite Shoals, Texas (2020)
| Granite Shoals Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Bruce Jones |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in Texas Texas recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Granite Shoals, Texas, to recall Mayor Carl Brugger and Councilman Bruce Jones was initiated in August 2020.[1] Petitioners submitted enough valid signatures to put the recalls on the ballot for an election on May 1, 2021, but both Brugger and Jones resigned prior to the election.[2][3]
On October 13, 2020, Carl Brugger resigned from his position as mayor, citing the recall effort. He wrote in his resignation letter that he hoped that stepping down would reduce tensions in the city.[4] Brugger was first elected in 2015 and would have been unable to run for re-election in May 2021 due to term limits.[5] Bruce Jones subsequently resigned on October 27, 2020. Because both officials resigned the recall election was canceled; the city charter specifies that a recall election cannot be held for councilmembers who resign.[3]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by Citizens’ Rights Group of Granite Shoals in response to a unanimous vote by the city council on August 4, 2020, to give City Manager Jeff Looney a $37,000 raise and four weeks of vacation.[6] On August 11, 2020, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Davant made a motion to rescind the pay increase. The motion was seconded by Councilman Ron Munos, but the motion failed by a 5-2 vote. Brugger, Jones, and councilmembers Libby Edwards, Steve Hougen, Will Skinner voted against the motion.[7]
Recall opponents
Davant defended the decision to vote in favor of a raise for Looney. He said, "He’s done an excellent job. He has 34 years of experience, and he has a good education. We did a survey with a third party. They came back with midpoints, minimums, and maximums. When we looked, Jeff Looney was at rock bottom. I know people are critiquing us. It’s easy to pick cities in West Texas (to compare to Granite Shoals). Those cities aren’t adjacent to Austin and to us, and they don’t have the cost of living we have here."[6]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Texas
Recall organizers were required to submit valid signatures equal to 6.5% of the city's registered voters—152 signatures—to force a recall election. On October 9, 2020, City Secretary Elaine Smith announced that 186 signatures were found valid out of the 221 signatures handed in.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Trib, "Group of Granite Shoals residents petitioning to recall mayor, councilor," August 17, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Daily Trib, "Granite Shoals recall petition certified," October 12, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Daily Trib, "Granite Shoals councilor targeted in recall resigns but will probably be back," October 27, 2020
- ↑ Daily Trib, "Carl J. Brugger Letter of Resignation," October 13, 2020
- ↑ Daily Trib, "Granite Shoals mayor resigns citing divisiveness over recall petition," October 14, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Daily Trib, "Granite Shoals city manager gets $37,000 raise," August 6, 2020
- ↑ Daily Trib, "Granite Shoals council members fail to rescind city manager’s raise," August 12, 2020
