Select board recall, St. Johnsbury, Vermont (2025)
| Steve Isham, Brendan Hughes, and Tracy Zschau recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Brendan Hughes Tracy Zschau |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Vermont Vermont recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall St. Johnsbury Select Board chair Steve Isham and Select Board members Brendan Hughes and Tracy Zschau is underway in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.[1]
Recall supporters
Recall organizers cited the decision by Isham, Hughes, and Zschau to approve a $400,000 purchase of four Bay Street properties, assessed at $985,000, without submitting the matter to a public ballot as grounds for their recall effort.[1]
Recall opponents
According to the Caledonian Record, Isham said, "We’ve done nothing illegal, we’ve done nothing unethical. We voted in favor of allocating economic development funds that were approved by the voters of St. Johnsbury for economic development."
Zchau said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure an adjacent parcel at a significant discount to expand public greenspace and trailhead parking, clean up a commercial site with funds only available to the Town, and in the end, strengthen our downtown.”
Hughes said, "I am saddened to hear that a select few disagree with a decision the select board made so much that they would create a petition to remove its members outside of an election, however, it is well within their rights to do so. I am, however, glad they are voicing their opinions in a diplomatic way."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Vermont
No specific grounds are required for recall in Vermont. The recall of local officials in Vermont is governed by local charters. Because of this, recall laws regarding signature requirements and circulation time vary by locality.[2]
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
- St. Johnsbury, Vermont
- Recall campaigns in Vermont
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
