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Steve Carrington recall, Palmer, Alaska (2024-2025)
| Steve Carrington recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 20, 2025 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Alaska Alaska recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Steve Carrington took place on May 20, 2025, in Palmer, Alaska.[1] Carrington retained his seat as a result of the recall vote.[2]
Carrington was elected as mayor of Palmer in 2022.
Recall vote
Steve Carrington recall, 2025
Steve Carrington won the Mayor of Palmer recall election on May 20, 2025.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
44.2
|
176 | |||
| ✔ | No |
55.8
|
222 | ||
Total Votes |
398 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The recall effort was initiated by Palmer resident Cindy Hudgins in response to the hiring of an outside attorney to draft a separation agreement for former Palmer City Manager Stephen Jellie.[3]
Ballots listed the following as grounds for recalling Carrington:[4]
| “ |
Mayor Steve Carrington is guilty of official misconduct in office for violating Palmer Code Section 3.4- The Mayor. "The executive power of the city is vested in the mayor." One duty listed is to execute " ... official documents on authorization of the council." On, or before, the Emergency City Council Meeting on October 9, 2024, Mayor Carrington abused executive power by seeking outside legal counsel to draft an amendment/modification to the existing contract for the city manager already in place and publicly noticed. Without the knowledge or authorization of City Council, Mayor Carrington contracted with an outside law firm to craft an "overlay" to the existing city manager contract. This "overlay" added legal elements detrimental to the City of Palmer, including granting former city manager Stephen Jellie a payment of $75,000 for resignation, immunity from prosecution for any known or unknown future potential liabilities attributable due to Stephen Jellie, and a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This abuse of executive power by Mayor Steve Carrington constitutes unlawful behavior by a public officer in relation to the duties of his office, willful in character.[5] |
” |
Recall opponents
Carrington submitted the following statement for inclusion on the ballot:[4]
| “ |
On October 8, 2024, City Attorney Sarah Heath informed me she intended to publicly read an accusatory email against City Manager Stephen Jellie at the council meeting that evening. I advised her not to read it and instead recommended scheduling a meeting with the council to address the concerns. She disregarded this and read the email during her report, triggering an emotionally charged meeting where 26 audience members, many city employees, echoed accusations. Notably, Ms. Heath had advised those employees to claim whistleblower status during public testimony, despite their roles being questionable under applicable whistleblower protection. Council member Carolina, with support from Council member Tudor, called for Mr. Jellie's termination-without an independent investigation. Carolina and Hudson then called for an emergency meeting on October 9 to address his contract. Mr. Jellie informed me the city had retained an outside attorney. With legal uncertainties and concerns about the City Attorney's direction, I contacted the outside attorney to draft a termination agreement, following the terms of Mr. Jellie's contract. The $75,000 severance was the exact amount included in his contract approved unanimously by the council the previous summer. Every council member voted to use this agreement.[5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Alaska
Alaska allows the following grounds for recall: "misconduct in office, incompetence, or failure to perform prescribed duties." To start the recall process, supporters must file an application for a recall petition containing the signatures of 10 voters who are sponsoring the petition. If a municipal clerk determines the application meets the requisite requirements, the petition will be approved to circulate. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures within 60 days of the recall petition getting approved. For an at-large officeholder, the petition must be signed by a number of voters equal to 25% of the votes cast for that office at the last regular election. For an officeholder who represents a specific district, the petition must be signed by a number of the voters residing in the district equal to 25% of the votes cast in the district for that office at the last regular election.[6]
Petitions were approved for circulation on December 18, 2024. Recall organizers were required to submit at least 71 valid signatures by February 16, 2025, to put the recall on the ballot.[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
- Palmer, Alaska
- Recall campaigns in Alaska
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Frontiersman, "Palmer Special Election to determine recall of mayor set for May 2," April 23, 2025
- ↑ Palmer City Clerk's Office, "2025 Unofficial Special Election Results," May 23, 2025
- ↑ 'KTUU', "Ousted Palmer city manager responds to council investigation as mayor faces calls for resignation & recall petition," October 24, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Palmer Alaska City Clerk's Office, "Sample Ballot for 2025 Special Election," accessed May 20, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alaska State Statutes, "Title 29. Municipal Government; Chapter 26. Elections; Article 3. Recall." accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ Mat-Su Sentinel, "Recall petition for Palmer Mayor set to open for signatures," December 2, 2024
