Priest Lake Library District recall, Idaho (2020)
| Priest Lake Library District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Laurel Smith Nancy Bushman Lori McReynolds |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in Idaho Idaho recall laws Special district recalls Recall reports |
A recall election seeking to remove four of the five trustees of the Priest Lake Library District board in Idaho was defeated by voters in the spring of 2020. The election was held by mail-in ballot. Voters had to request their ballots by May 19, 2020, and they had until June 2, 2020, to return their ballots. The effort sought to recall Debbie Sudnikovich, Laurel Smith, Nancy Bushman, and Lori McReynolds after they voted to fire library director Beverly Richmond in September 2019. All four trustees retained their seats.[1][2][3][4]
Rosemary Yocum, leader of the recall effort and a former trustee of the library district board, said the trustees violated state law because they fired Richmond without cause. Yocum said Richmond was not an at-will employee and that the board broke statutes governing open meetings and executive sessions. The recall petition also said that the four trustees had treated district citizens in a condescending manner and had failed to fulfill their duties of office.[5]
In her response to the recall, McReynolds said Richmond was an at-will employee. She said their decision was made with the best interest of the community in mind. Sudnikovich said the former library director had been under review since November 2018 prior to her being let go. She said improvements to employee morale and the library’s management and atmosphere reinforced “the decision to terminate the former director was both reasonable and appropriate.”[5]
Click here to read the arguments for and against the recall that were submitted to the county.
Recall vote
Nancy Bushman's recall
Nancy Bushman recall, 2020
Nancy Bushman won the Priest Lake Library District recall election on June 2, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
27.9
|
74 | |||
| ✔ | No |
72.1
|
191 | ||
Total Votes |
265 | ||||
|
|
Lori McReynolds' recall
Lori McReynolds recall, 2020
Lori McReynolds won the Priest Lake Library District recall election on June 2, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
28.8
|
77 | |||
| ✔ | No |
71.2
|
190 | ||
Total Votes |
267 | ||||
|
|
Laurel Smith's recall
Laurel Smith recall, 2020
Laurel Smith won the Priest Lake Library District recall election on June 2, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
30.3
|
81 | |||
| ✔ | No |
69.7
|
186 | ||
Total Votes |
267 | ||||
|
|
Debbie Sudnikovich's recall
Debbie Sudnikovich recall, 2020
Debbie Sudnikovich won the Priest Lake Library District recall election on June 2, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
29.2
|
77 | |||
| ✔ | No |
70.8
|
187 | ||
Total Votes |
264 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The recall effort was led by Rosemary Yocum, a former member of the library district board. Yocum said the four library district board members violated Idaho law when they fired library director Beverly Richmond without cause on September 10, 2019. Yocum said Richmond was not an at-will employee. “They didn’t go through property[sic] procedure—that’s what got people’s dander up in the community because nobody saw it coming,” Yocum said.[1]
Yocum also said the board broke statutes governing open meetings and executive sessions.[1]
Recall opponents
“I think it’s a real unfair thing that’s happening and real unfortunate,” trustee Debbie Sudnikovich said. She declined to comment directly on the recall election due to the pending litigation.[1]
Recall documents
Nancy Bushman recall ballot
Lori McReynolds recall ballot
Laurel Smith recall ballot
Debbie Sudnikovich recall ballot
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Idaho
The recall effort was initially approved for the March primary ballot, but it was taken off after an order from the district board did not get filed in time for that election.[6] It was placed on the May 19, 2020, ballot. The election was held by mail-in ballot. Voters had to request their ballots by May 19, 2020, and they had until June 2, 2020, to return their ballots.[3] Bonner County elections supervisor Charlie Wurm estimated the election would cost the county $10,000.[1]
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Priest Lake Library District board of trustees
- Bonner County Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bonner County Daily Bee, "PL LIBRARY TRUSTEES FACE OUSTER," December 24, 2019
- ↑ Priest Lake Public Library, "Board of Trustees," accessed January 23, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bonner County, ID, "Elections," accessed May 20, 2020
- ↑ Bonner County Elections, "Cumulative Results Report: Special Election Results as of June 2, 2020," accessed June 3, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bonner County Elections, "Priest Lake Public Library Recall," accessed May 12, 2020
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Bonner County Elections Office," February 12, 2020
