Mayor and city council recall, Alice, Texas (2017)
| Alice Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Elida Garza Jolene Vanover Peter Crisp |
| Recall status |
Resigned |
| Recall election date |
| November 7, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Texas Texas recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
Alice City Councilwoman Yolanda Moran was removed from office in a recall on November 7, 2017.[1] Moran was targeted for recall by residents Cindy Loera and Randall Dickens due to her support for reopening the city's water park after budget shortages led to its closure. Councilwoman Elida Garza, who was targeted along with Moran but resigned in September 2017, countered that the council's decision did not raise taxes. Garza still appeared on the recall ballot.[2][3]
A separate recall effort against Mayor Jolene Vanover and City Councilman Peter Crisp was initiated on July 25, 2017.[4] Recall organizer Tony Sexton announced that he dropped his recall effort on July 31, 2017, because he saw the mayor and city council improving their working relationship.[5]
The Alice City Council consists of a mayor and four council members elected at large to two-year terms.[6]
Recall vote
A recall vote against Moran and Garza took place on November 7, 2017.
| Recall of Yolanda Moran | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 1053 | 74.42% | ||
| Retain | 362 | 25.58% | ||
| Recall of Elida Garza | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Recall | 1116 | 66.59% | ||
| Retain | 560 | 33.41% | ||
Recall supporters
Cindy Loera and Randall Dickens organized the recall against Garza and Moran because of their opposition to the city council's vote to open the Alice Natatorium and Water Park due to concerns about funding its operations. The facility was opened in 2016 and closed in January 2017 due to a lack of funds.[7] Moran was the sponsor of the motion and Garza seconded the motion before the council's approval. Loera and Dickens argued that the council should have scheduled a budget workshop to determine financing sources for the facility.[8]
Sexton submitted recall affidavits against Vanover and Crisp because of concerns about tensions between the mayor and the city council.[4]
Recall opponents
Garza and Moran
Garza responded to the recall effort with the following statement:
| “ |
I’m going to be accepting of whatever the voters want. I’m going to go along with it, but I’m not giving up my position and I’m going to continue to fight for what I believe. The citizens of Alice elected me to do this job and I intend to do it and fight for it.[8][9] |
” |
| —Elida Garza (2017) | ||
Garza also said that the city's decision to open the facility did not raise taxes.[8]
Moran did not provide comment on the recall at the time of the election.[8]
Vanover and Crisp
Vanover provided the following response to the recall effort:
| “ |
It’s sad that some people are so predictable. I call this the retaliation recall. I was expecting this especially due to the people we are discussing. This is a detriment to our citizens, The organizers and contributors to this recall have no care that if successful our City of Alice will have no citizen voiced government to continue city business. After all, we are all sitting in these seats to be the voice of our citizens. Sadly, this recall is a confirmation that these members of council are vindictive, spiteful and destructive, and truly have no care for the betterment of our entire community.[10][9] |
” |
| —Jolene Vanover (2017) | ||
Crisp provided the following response to the recall effort:
| “ |
As an elected official, it is the right of the citizens to question my actions. I trust the process and will continue to do for the City of Alice what I swore to do when taking my oath; to preserve, protect and defend our laws and those of our residents.[10][9] |
” |
| —Pete Crisp (2017) | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Texas
Loera and Dickens filed petitions with the city clerk on June 6, 2017.[8] They submitted 261 signatures to city officials on June 16, 2017.[11] The city council approved the November 7 recall election date on July 13, 2017.[2]
Sexton would have needed at least 113 valid signatures for each targeted official to require a recall election.[4]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms City council Alice Texas recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alice Echo, "Garza and Moran Voted Out," November 7, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alice Echo, "Recall election set for Nov. 7," July 17, 2017
- ↑ KRIS, "Alice Mayor Pro-Tem resigns," September 12, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Alice Echo, "Second recall effort targets mayor Vanover and council member Crisp," July 26, 2017
- ↑ Alice Echo, "Former candidate seeking removal of mayor and councilman rescinds his recall," August 1, 2017
- ↑ City of Alice, Texas, "City Council," accessed October 29, 2017
- ↑ KRIS, "6 Investigates Preview: Alice natatorium closed amidst public scrutiny," January 5, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Alice Echo, "Recall of two newly-elected council members sought," June 6, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Alice Echo, "Mayor says recall effort a 'retaliation'," July 27, 2017
- ↑ Alice Echo, "Recall petitions with 261 signatures turned into Alice city hall," June 16, 2017
 |
State of Texas Austin (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |