Sean Skipworth recall, Dickinson, Texas (2023-2024)
| Sean Skipworth recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Texas Texas recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Sean Skipworth did not go to a vote in Dickinson, Texas.[1]
On May 7, 2024, Skipworth announced that he would resign as mayor but continue to serve in the position until a successor could be elected in November 2024.[2]
Recall supporters
KTRK reported that one recall organizer, former councilmember Scott Shrader, said that the recall was initiated after records requests revealed information about the city's bond rating, audit, and money spent on projects. Shrader said the rate of turnover for city employees was also concerning to him.[3] The Daily News reported that the group hired to gather signatures, Texas Hometown Strategies, said that Skipworth failed to meet "fiduciary responsibilities."[1]
Recall opponents
Skipworth said in response to the recall effort, "They don’t have any grounds for it. You’re just saying ‘you didn’t meet fiduciary responsibilities.’ I don’t even know what that means."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Texas
No specific grounds are required for recall in Texas. The recall of local officials in Texas is governed by local charters. Because of this, recall laws regarding signature requirements and circulation time vary by locality.[4]
Recall organizers were required to submit at least 689 valid signatures in 30 days to put the recall against Skipworth on the ballot.[1] On January 10, 2024, petitioners submitted about 1,150 signatures.[5] Petitions were later ruled as invalid on the grounds that they did not confirm the number of signatures on each page and that the petition language was too vague.[6] An amended petition was filed on February 2, 2024. The second petition was ruled invalid on the grounds that amended materials could not correct the defects with the original filing.[7]
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
- Dickinson, Texas
- Recall campaigns in Texas
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Daily News, "Recall drive launched against Dickinson Mayor Sean Skipworth," December 12, 2023
- ↑ Facebook, "Sean Skipwroth, Dickinson Mayor," May 7, 2024
- ↑ KTRK, "'Ugly' fight brewing in Dickinson over whether mayor should be recalled," December 28, 2023
- ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "Unusual ballot features Fredericksburg councilman as recall target and mayoral contender," May 3, 2012
- ↑ The Daily News, "Dickinson begins vetting recall petition against mayor," January 19, 2024
- ↑ ABC 13, "Despite hundreds of signatures, Dickinson's attorney says three things invalidated a mayoral recall," January 24, 2024
- ↑ The Texan, "Dickinson Officials Reject Amended Petition to Recall Mayor Skipworth," February 13, 2024
