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Mayor and city council recall, Kansas City, Missouri (2021)
| Kansas City Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Katheryn Shields Brandon Ellington Andrea Bough Lee Barnes Kevin O'Neill |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Missouri Missouri recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Quinton Lucas and five city council members did not qualify for the ballot in Kansas City, Missouri, after organizers failed to collect enough signatures.[1] The council members subject to recall were Katheryn Shields, Brandon Ellington, Andrea Bough, Lee Barnes, and Kevin O'Neill. Organizers initiated the recall process on September 22, 2021.[2]
A prior effort to recall District 4 City Councilman Eric Bunch also did not qualify for the ballot.[3] Recall organizers said that they began the recall campaign after Bunch called for the resignation of the Kansas City chief of police and voted in favor of cutting the police department's budget in 2021.[4] Bunch was elected to the city council in 2019. He earned 50.9% of the vote, defeating Geoffrey Jolley.
Recall supporters
Mayor and city council recall
The group Take KC Back initiated the recall. They gave the following explanation of the grounds for the recall on their website:[5]
| “ |
We Are Nonpartisan We represent the majority of concerned citizens who want safe neighborhoods for their families and businesses to thrive. We Want Transparency The current make-up of city council has shown they play politics rather than establishing dialogue with constituencies. We Support KCPD The current make-up of city council has shown they are not capable of working with key stakeholders to address community safety We Need Recalls We are in favor of the recall of city council members who have shown the inability to support KCPD, build bridges in the community and transparency in council business.[6] |
” |
Bunch recall
Take KC Back also organized the Bunch recall campaign. In a press release, which appears below, the group said that they began the recall campaign against Bunch after he called for the resignation of the Kansas City chief of police and voted in favor of cutting the police department's budget in 2021.[4]
| “ |
Fourth District Councilman Eric Bunch has repeatedly gone against the will of his constituents and needs to be recalled.
We believe that Councilman Eric Bunch should be fired, not our Chief of Police. That is why today, we filed an affidavit with the city clerk to start the recall process of Councilman Eric Bunch. We are confident that with the number of Fourth District constituents who feel their voice is not being represented at City Hall, we will reach the threshold of signatures necessary to put this on the ballot.[6] |
” |
Recall opponents
Bunch gave the following response to the recall on Twitter:[7]
| “ |
... You see, their only stated cause in this recall attempt is a vote I took, alongside the mayor and seven council colleagues, that will require KCPD to negotiate a fraction of their budget with the City Council and City Manager, a vote I still stand firmly behind. Thanks to this vote, you and your local officials can ensure that KCPD uses your tax dollars as intended -- at least for a portion of their budget. Gone are the days of writing a blank check to the Governor-appointed police commission. While some may see the May 20th ordinance as a half measure toward local control of your police department, this effort was the first substantive step in recent history toward necessary transformational change of KCPD’s governance structure. I’m damn proud of that vote. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside a mayor and city council who aren’t afraid to tackle big issues like local control of KCPD.[6] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Missouri
Mayor and city council recall
Organizers submitted affidavits initiating the recall process on September 22. They needed to collect around 13,700 signatures for each council member. The recalls did not qualify for the ballot after organizers collected fewer than 4,000 signatures on any petition.[1]
Bunch recall
Organizers had to collect signatures from 20% of registered voters in Kansas City City Council District 4. The deadline to submit signatures passed on August 22, 2021.[3]
The Kansas City Election Board initially reviewed around 2,500 signatures submitted by organizers.[8] After the city clerk validated 1,730 signatures out of the required 2,637, organizers were given until September 9 to collect the remaining signatures.[9] The recall ultimately did not go to a vote.[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Kansas City Beacon, "Taking KC Back needed 13,700 signatures per council member to start a recall. They collected fewer than 4,000 for each," November 19, 2021
- ↑ Webster County Citizen, "Political action committee launches recall petition of Kansas City mayor, five council members," September 28, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Heartlander, "Kansas City pro-police group launches effort to recall Councilman Eric Bunch," July 23, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Take KC Back, "Effort to Recall Anti-Police Councilman Eric Bunch," July 22, 2021
- ↑ Take KC Back, "About," accessed October 1, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Twitter, "Eric Bunch," August 10, 2021
- ↑ Fox 4, "Kansas City Election Board reviewing petition signatures to recall council member," August 24, 2021
- ↑ Fox 4, "Effort to recall Kansas City Councilman Eric Bunch falls short in initial signature drive," August 31, 2021
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Petition to recall Kansas City councilman falls short of enough signatures," September 16, 2021
