Steve Prysunka recall, Wrangell, Alaska (2021)
| Wrangell Mayoral recall |
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| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Alaska Alaska recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Wrangell, Alaska, to recall Mayor Steve Prysunka was initiated in January 2021. Recall organizers submitted applications for petitions in January 2021 and February 2021. The first application was rejected for being too early into Prysunka's term.[1][2] The borough clerk determined that the second application did not provide insufficient legal grounds for a recall election.[3]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by Wrangell residents Don McConachie Sr., James DeBord, Michael Lockabey, Michelle Bloom, Ryan Soeteber, Royce Cowan, Sherri Cowan, Dusty Cowan, Sarah Cowan, and Jerry McHolland. The group accused Prysunka of violating state and local law by failing to give sufficient notice of an emergency meeting. The meeting was called on November 12, 2020, to discuss $25 fines for violation of COVID-19 mask mandates. KSTK reported that the meeting was called with a five-hour notice.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Alaska
Recall organizers submitted an application for recall petitions in January 2021. The application was rejected due to the requirement that an official is 120 into their term before a recall application can be accepted. Prysunka's 120th day of his term was on February 5, 2021.[1]
A second application was filed on February 8, 2021.<ref name=second> Wrangell Borough Clerk Kim Lane determined that the second application did not provide insufficient legal grounds for a recall election.[3]
Petitioners would have needed 121 valid signatures to put the recall election on the ballot.[1]
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
