Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Chris Moreno recall, Lee's Summit, Missouri (2017)
| Lee's Summit City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| April 4, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Missouri Missouri recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
City Councilman Chris Moreno was recalled by voters in Lee's Summit, Missouri, on April 4, 2017.[1] On October 26, 2016, Lee's Summit Citizens for Responsible Government (LSCRG) submitted a petition to the city clerk seeking Moreno's recall.[2] This petition argued for Moreno's removal due to concerns about his role in contentious city council meetings and personal bankruptcy proceedings. Moreno countered that the recall effort was initiated by supporters of Councilwoman Diane Forte after an investigation into allegations that her company benefited from her public position.
Recall vote
A recall vote was held on April 4, 2017. Voters were asked to vote yes or no on removing Moreno from his council seat. The city charter empowers the city council to fill the vacancy left by Moreno's recall.[3]
| Recall of Chris Moreno (Lee's Summit Question 13) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 1,634 | 63.09% | ||
| Retain | 956 | 36.91% | ||
Recall supporters
LSCRG spokesman Kent Ruehter made the following accusations against Moreno in an October 2016 press release:[2]
- Lack of basic understanding of local governance
- Lawsuit and bankruptcy filings against Moreno
- Criticism of bathroom access policy by Target located outside of District 4
- Contentious behavior at council meetings
Recall opponents
Moreno argued that the recall was initiated by people who support Councilwoman Diane Forte. In June 2015, Forte faced scrutiny from Moreno and other council members over allegations that her business benefited from her public office. The council found out that Forte's trophy company sold products to the parks department on two occasions. Moreno led efforts to force Forte's resignation from the parks board, request a county investigation into city purchasing practices, and pursue an independent audit of these practices. Forte resigned from the parks board, but the audit and county investigation did not find widespread issues in city purchasing practices.[4] The Missouri Ethics Commission found in April 2017 that Forte violated conflict of interest laws. The commission fined Forte $1,938 or $387 if paid within 45 days of the order.[5][6]
Moreno also said, "They want to recall me when I've done zero to violate the law."[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Missouri
LSCRG needed to collect at least 524 signatures from registered voters in Moreno's council district by December 26, 2016. This date was the 60th day after the petition was filed with the city clerk.[2] Ruehter told local media that the group had collected 650 signatures by December 8, 2016.[7] The Jackson County Election Board verified 621 signatures.[3] The Lee's Summit City Council voted to schedule an April 2017 recall election on December 15, 2016.[3]
Additional elections
- See also: Missouri elections, 2017
The recall election shared the ballot with elections for three seats on the Lee's Summit R-7 Schools board and 13 local measures. City council members are elected by district and Moreno's recall only appeared on ballots in District 4.[8]
You can navigate the following document by zooming in or out with the + and - buttons and using the vertical scrollbar.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chris Moreno recall Lee's Summit. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Missouri
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Jackson County Election Board, "Unofficial Election Results – April 4, 2017 General Municipal Election," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lee's Summit Tribune, "Citizen Group Forms, Files Petition to Recall City Council Member Chris Moreno," October 28, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lee's Summit Journal, "Recall effort official; what now?" December 15, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lee's Summit Journal, "Voters decide April 4 whether to remove councilman from office," March 20, 2017
- ↑ Lee's Summit Tribune, "Ethics Commission Finds Forte in Violation of State Statute, Next Step Lies with City Council," April 28, 2017
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Ethics commission fines Forte," April 26, 2017
- ↑ Lee's Summit Journal, "Parks controversy, recall effort linger over council," December 8, 2016
- ↑ Jackson County Election Board, "April 4, 2017 – General Municipal Election, City of Lee's Summit," accessed March 3, 2017
