Phyllis Bowman recall, Greenwood, Florida (2017)
| Greenwood Mayor recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Florida Florida recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
Huntington Mayor Phyllis Bowman faced a recall effort over allegations that she endangered city employee lives during Hurricane Irma.[1] Bowman responded to the recall effort by saying that the employees who worked during the hurricane were essential personnel and were not reprimanded. An initial petition by Ness was approved by the county elections office in October 2017, and a second petition with the mayor's response to the effort was circulated.[2] In November 2017, recall organizers announced their withdrawal of a recall petition against Bowman. Their withdrawal request did not include reasons why they ended their recall effort.[3]
Recall supporters
Ness told local media that she pursued Bowman's recall due to allegations that the mayor ordered town employees to work at a time when the governor's office told non-essential public employees to not work during Hurricane Irma. Ness further alleged that Bowman reprimanded employees who were sent home by the town clerk after Bowman's request.[1]
Recall opponents
Bowman's official response to the recall included the following excerpt:
| “ |
On Friday, Sept. 8, I requested the three essential personnel of the town to arrive in Greenwood on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 a.m. to assess any damage, and be visible, to reassure our citizens. By requesting the deputy clerk to remain at home, this complied with Gov. Rick Scott’s call for all non-essential personnel to stay home and off the roads….the town clerk was written up for telling the maintenance personnel to ignore my request without prior consultation and approval from me…I have attempted to improve the efficiency of the town and fulfilling our duties to the citizens. This has required changing procedures, which have been unsettling to the employees. I do, and will continue to, listen to the employees and their concerns, to work together for greater efficiency.[2][4] |
” |
| —Phyllis Bowman (2017) | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Florida
Ness needed to gather at least 50 valid signatures from town voters on an initial petition to advance the recall effort. The county elections office verified 70 valid signatures on this initial petition.[2] She would have needed at least 75 valid signatures from town voters on a second petition to require an election. The second petition included Ness' recall language and Bowman's response to the recall.[1]
On October 27, 2017, Bowman filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the recall effort, arguing that the petition did not have sufficient grounds. Bowman's lawsuit also argued that the state's recall laws only apply to officials on municipal governing bodies, while the town charter specified that the mayor was not part of the governing body.[5] Circuit Court Judge Christopher Patterson ordered a halt to the recall effort on November 1, 2017, until the conclusion of deliberations on Bowman's lawsuit.[6]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jackson County Floridian, "Petition filed for recall of Greenwood mayor," October 4, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dothan County Eagle, "Greenwood mayor fights recall attempt," October 10, 2017
- ↑ Dothan Eagle, "Petitioners withdraw petition to recall Greenwood Mayor Phyllis Bowman," November 21, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Dothan Eagle, "Greenwood mayor sues to stop recall attempt," October 27, 2017
- ↑ WJHG, "Judge temporarily freezes attempt to recall Greenwood mayor," November 1, 2017
