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Mayor and city council recall, Maumee, Ohio (2024-2025)
| Maumee mayor and city council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Gabriel Barrow Scott Noonan Margo Puffenberger Josh Harris Jon Fiscus Ted Kurt |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| September 9, 2025 (canceled) |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Ohio Ohio recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor James MacDonald and City Councilmembers Gabriel Barrow, Scott Noonan, Margo Puffenberger, Josh Harris, Jon Fiscus, and Ted Kurt did not go to a vote in Maumee, Ohio. The Lucas County Board of Elections had voted to place the recall on the September 9, 2025, ballot, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled on July 17, 2025, that Maumee's city charter does not allow recalls.[1][2][3]
Recall vote
The recall election was scheduled for September 9, 2025. It was canceled following a ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court.[3]
Recall supporters
Maumee residents Dana Johnson, Melissa LaVrar Kerr, Colleen LaChapelle, Amy Pauken, and Brad Reynolds formed a committee to file the recall petitions. The committee gave issues with Maumee's sewers, improper vetting of the city administrator, lack of transparency, incompetence, acting in a way that has caused distrust among residents, and the litigation the city has been involved in as reasons for the recall effort.[1]
Recall opponents
A statement provided to WTOL 11 by MacDonald and the city read:[4]
| “ |
The Mayor and City Council remain steadfast in our commitment to serving the residents of Maumee, listening to their concerns, and making thoughtful, informed decisions that benefit everyone. While we have faced significant challenges, we are proud of the progress we have made across many areas and continue to prioritize the needs of our community moving forward. It is disheartening that this vocal group is now attempting to advance their personal agenda through a recall effort, which ultimately undermines the positive work being done for the benefit of our city. This group has consistently worked to create division and negativity, opposing every decision made by the Council over the past year. Their actions have contributed to a toxic environment of tension and discord. Despite these efforts, we remain fully committed to working in harmony and unity to build a brighter future for the citizens of Maumee. [5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Ohio
No specific grounds are required for recall in Ohio. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from qualified electors equal to 15% of the votes cast at the most recent regular municipal election. Supporters of the recall have 90 days to circulate petitions from the day the first signature is collected.[6]
Signature collection was scheduled to begin on November 16, 2024. The deadline to file signatures was February 13, 2025.[1] Recall organizers were required to submit at least 861 valid signatures to put a recall on the ballot. On February 6, 2025, the Lucas County Board of Elections received about 1,400 signatures for each petition.[7]
MacDonald, Kurt, and Maumee residents Glenn Rambo and Benjamin Heywood submitted protests after the Lucas County Board of Elections certified the recall petitions. A protest hearing was scheduled for April 1, 2025.[8] The board upheld its decision to place the recalls on the ballot.[9]
The city of Maumee filed a complaint with the Ohio Supreme Court on April 11, 2025, seeking a writ of prohibition to prevent the Lucas County Board of Elections from placing the recall election on the September 9, 2025, ballot. The court ruled that Maumee's city charter does not provide for recalls.[3][10]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Maumee, Ohio
- Recall campaigns in Ohio
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Mayoral recalls
- City council recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Government website of Maumee, Ohio
- The Case for Recall in Maumee website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WTVG, "Maumee citizens seek to remove mayor, six council members through recall campaign," November 11, 2024
- ↑ The Mirror Newspapers, "Lucas County Board Of Elections Approves Maumee Recall For September 9 Ballot At Estimated Cost Of Nearly $100,000," accessed March 17, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WTVG, "Ohio Supreme Court blocks Maumee recall election," July 17, 2025
- ↑ WTOL 11, "Maumee citizen group launching efforts to recall mayor, other city officials," November 11, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Section 705.92: Procedure for removal of elective officer by recall." accessed October 17, 2023
- ↑ WTVG, "Maumee citizens submit petitions to recall mayor, six councilmembers," February 6, 2025
- ↑ The Blade, "Board of Elections sets Maumee protest hearing," March 13, 2025
- ↑ The Blade, "Lucas County Board of Elections affirms decision on Maumee recall vote," April 1, 2025
- ↑ WTGV, "Maumee files complaint to Ohio Supreme Court to block recall effort," April 11, 2025
