Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Paul Sutphen recall, Frankford, New Jersey, 2009
| Frankford Mayor recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| December 8, 2009 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in New Jersey New Jersey recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall Mayor Paul Sutphen from the Township Committee took place on December 8, 2009 Frankford, New Jersey, where it was approved. This marked the first recall election of a government official in Sussex County. The candidate running against Sutphen, Emery "Sam" Castimore, won the mayoral election and took over as mayor after the recall election.[1]
Results for Paul Sutphen recall:[2]
- Yes: 850 (53%)
- No: 767 (47%)
Results for mayoral election:
- Castimore: 863 (54%)
- Sutphen: 722 (46%)
According to supporters of the recall election, ordinances were passed earlier in 2009 which limited commercial development on county Route 565 and state Route 206. The ordinance, according to reports, prohibits strip mall, service station and restaurant construction without wait staff and “box stores”. Recall supporters argue that Sutphen has "made decisions on township issues based on his own personal agenda and not for the benefit of residents."[3]
Sutphen entered office in 2008. His first term is scheduled to expire December 2010.
Candidates
Due to the recall of Sutphen, two candidates appeared on the ballot for the seat of mayor: Emery "Sam" Castimore (59), a local veterinarian, and Sutphen (72), who according to New Jersey recall election law is allowed to run for his own seat.[3]
Path to the ballot
In order to force a recall election, supporters were required to collect and submit at least 25 percent or 1,030, of the municipality's voters registered during the last general election.[4] Signatures were validated on June 25, 2009. A total of 164 signatures were dismissed from the submitted signatures, however, supporters still surpassed the required signatures - 1,066 valid.[5]
Signatures challenged
In July 2009, Sutphen challenged the validity of more than 500 signatures. At the same time recall supporters challenged the town clerk's decision to invalidate 164 signatures. According to township clerk Louanne Cular said that the 164 signatures were dismissed because some signatures belonged to deceased voters, other petitions contained illegible signatures or did not select the box that said the voter read and understood the petition.
The mayor's challenge, however, argued that some of the signatures may have been forged and questioned if the signatures belonged to voters that registered in the town, according to Cular. In regards to the challenge, Sutphen said,"I should not be recalled from office because I have not done anything wrong and I want to maintain doing my job for the township. I swore I'd finish my term."[5]
Election costs
According to reports, the recall election is estimated to cost township taxpayers $15,500.[4]
See also
External links
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Herald, "Frankford recall election Tuesday," December 6, 2009
- ↑ New Jersey Herald, "Castimore wins Frankford seat," December 8, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Jersey Herald, "Frankford voters to make call on recall," December 5, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New Jersey Herald, "Frankford recall election set today," December 8, 2009
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 New Jersey Herald, "Frankford mayor disputes recall," July 11, 2009
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
