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Mayor and city council recall, Hoschton, Georgia (2019)
| Hoschton Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Jim Cleveland |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2019 Recalls in Georgia Georgia recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Hoschton, Georgia, to recall Mayor Theresa Kenerly and Councilman Jim Cleveland was initiated in 2019. Petitions were approved for circulation on September 6, 2019. On the same day, Kenerly and Cleveland filed motions to have a superior court judge review the merits of the recall.[1] A judge ruled on October 2, 2019, that the recall would be allowed to move forward.[2] Petitioners submitted enough valid signatures to put the recall on the ballot, and a recall election was scheduled for January 14, 2020.[3]
On December 10, 2019, Cleveland announced that he would resign from his office prior to the recall election.[4] On December 14, 2019, Kenerly announced her resignation as mayor.[5]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was initiated in response to comments made by each official in May 2019. City documents showed that Kenerly had said about an applicant for city administrator that "he is black, and the city isn’t ready for this." Cleveland defended the comments by Kenerly and, in the same interview, said he is opposed to interracial marriage.[6]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Georgia
On September 6, 2019, recall organizers submitted 270 signatures to move the recall effort into the second signature-gathering stage. In the second stage, petitioners are given 30 days to submit valid signatures equal to 30% of the city's registered voters. Kenerly and Cleveland filed motions to have a superior court judge review the merits of the recall, which moved back the deadline for petitioners.[1] On October 2, 2019, Judge David Sweat ruled that the recall would move forward.[2] Petitioners submitted 270 signatures. They needed 96 valid signatures to put the recall on the ballot.[7]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jackson Herald Today, "UPDATED: Elections board approves recall petition applications," September 6, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Atlanta News Now, "Hoschton recall petition can move forward, judge rules," October 2, 2019
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Recall election for Hoschton mayor, councilman set for Jan. 14," December 4, 2019
- ↑ ABC News, "Georgia councilman's defiant opposition to interracial marriage leads to his resignation," December 10, 2019
- ↑ CBS 46, "Hoschton mayor resigns amid racial tensions", December 14, 2019
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Pressure grows to force out Hoschton officials," May 22, 2019
- ↑ Fox 5 Atlanta, "Residents call for city leaders to resign," September 6, 2019
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