When Maumee will hold its primary election whips another wicked wrench into the recall effort by disgruntled citizens for the mayor and six councilmen.
According to the city charter, a primary election will be held in September, just weeks before three of the four councilmen could be on the Nov. 4 ballot for re-election.
The Ohio primary date, when most voters — but not all — will go to the polls is May 6.
Dana Johnson, one of the recall organizers, said he was initially not aware that Maumee’s primary is in September. As volunteers and newcomers to politics, they are learning all the time, he added.
He said recall organizers had hoped they could hold a special election in the spring.
“The sooner we can put a stop to this, the better,” he said. “People are more than fed up.”
However, Tim Monaco, deputy director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said Maumee’s primary will be in September and there cannot be any special elections. This is according to the Ohio Revised Code, he said.
The recall effort, which was launched last month, targets Mayor Jim MacDonald and Councilmen Gabe Barrow, Jon Fiscus, Josh Harris, Ted Kurt, Scott Noonan, and Margo Puffenberger. Councilman Philip Leinbach is not being recalled.
Mr. Johnson said they are approaching the minimum number of 870 signatures, which is based on a percentage of total votes in the last gubernatorial election, to move ahead with the recall.
“What we really want to achieve is double that amount,” he said, with the goal of getting 1,700 signatures. They have 90 days, by law, to collect them, and are one month into the process, Mr. Johnson said.
They are “not at all” discouraged by the delay of the primary, he said.
The delay will give new candidates more time to prepare and get their name known, he said, which will entail petitions and yard signs.
“It is what it is. We can’t change the board of elections’ procedure, and we’re not going to abandon our recall efforts because of that,” Mr. Johnson said.
He said he knows of people who want to run for council, and of at least one person who wants to be mayor. He declined to name them.
“Once they come forward, they’ll start to get attacked,” Mr. Johnson said.
Mr. Fiscus, Mr. Harris, Mr. Leinbach, and Ms. Puffenberger were all elected to their first terms on council in November, 2021, and their terms expire Dec. 31, 2025.
They all, with the exception of Mr. Leinbach, could potentially be on a recall ballot in the September primary and — just weeks later — be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
“They could be on recall and at the same time file their petitions for re-election in November,” said Fritz Schoen, chairman of the Lucas County Board of Elections.
“It could be very messy,” Mr. Monaco said, adding he has been fielding calls at the board of elections about the Maumee recall effort and how it could play out.
There aren’t a lot of specific answers to questions right now, Mr. Monaco said.
“It’s hard to get an exact explanation, until a petition is turned in,” he said.
If a recall petition is eventually validated, the persons being recalled have five days to respond or resign, Mr. Monaco said.
“If there’s enough signatures to recall, at the same time there could be nomination for people to replace,” he said.
Maumee voters were asked to change the primary on a November, 2022, ballot. The Maumee charter amendment nominations and elections issue failed with 2,915 against, or 62 percent, and 1,780 in favor, or 38 percent.
Council and the administration can’t change the primary, said Patrick Burtch, Maumee administrator. It has to be put together by a charter commission, then be placed on a November general election ballot.
“We don’t have the ability to change the primary,” Mr. Burtch said. “The people have to vote it in.”
The other councilmen that the group are trying to recall all have terms that expire Dec. 31, 2027.
Mr. Barrow was elected to his first term in 2019 and re-elected to a second term in 2023. Mr. Noonan was appointed to council in December, 2017, was elected to his first term in 2019, and was re-elected in 2023. Mr. Kurt was elected to his first term in November, 2023.
Mayor MacDonald ran unopposed and was elected to a four-year term in November, 2023.
Mr. Schoen said Oregon also holds a primary in September. The board has asked that city for a charter change to move to May, he said.
With early voting becoming more popular before the general election and ballots having to be in the mail for uniformed and overseas citizens 45 days before, there is too little turnaround between September and November, he said.
“Early voting starts in October,” Mr. Schoen said.
Toledo voters recently moved their primary to May, he said. But there is another issue he hopes will change in that city’s charter: eliminating write-in positions, to comply with the state.
“Right now in the city of Toledo you can write anybody’s name in, including Mickey Mouse,” he said. “There are hundreds of people doing write-ins.
“We actually have to check the legitimacy of those names, so it’s a lot of effort that’s unnecessary,” Mr. Schoen said.
First Published December 13, 2024, 4:22 p.m.
