Print ArticleReasons cited have varied widely, but all point to the recent rash of revelations by the Times Union as a good starting point for a campaign to recall the mayor. The complete stasis and near paralysis of the administration over the past few years, including the Courthouse debacle, the lackluster strategy to lobby Jacksonville's interests during the property tax debate on the gubernatorial level, the shocking state of the cities finances, the overt cronyism and racially insensitive undertones of his appointments and dismissals, the coordination of city finances and policy in order to favor his fathers corporate investments, and the complete lack of a single successful initiative to show for the past five years are commonly cited in these persistent rumors.
If so, it would be the first time in our Consolidated Government's history, and actually the first time in Jacksonville History, that a mayor would be recalled. Is a recall campaign even possible in this town?
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RiversideGator
October 01, 2007, 11:18:22 AMIs there even a legal mechanism for the recall of a Mayor in Jacksonville by the voters?
stephendare
October 01, 2007, 11:20:19 AMgreat question, River.
Certainly there must be a process for removing one in The Charter.....
stephendare
October 01, 2007, 11:29:35 AMWould a recall campaign serve any positive purpose? Or would it just be an expensive process that would halt all of the positive forward momentum of Team Peyton?
thelakelander
October 01, 2007, 11:32:46 AMRecall for who? Dan Davis?
stephendare
October 01, 2007, 11:36:56 AMThe rumor is that Davis would decline the promotion if it happened.
According to the source, he would be unable to run for mayor in his own right as interim mayor following the removal process.
The source didnt say whether or not they had actually spoken with Davis however--so that may be speculation on their part.
To echo River, I would bet that no one really knows what the process would be or what the line of succession would be....
jbm32206
October 01, 2007, 12:02:39 PMContact the supervisor of elections office and ask them to send you the paperwork...they will, and it'll tell you exactly what has to be done. You wouldn't want Davis in Peyton's spot, he's just as dirty and underhanded as Peyton!
Shine
October 01, 2007, 12:53:49 PM1. Form a political committee by picking up the paperwork at the supervisors office (basically designate a treasure)
2. Open a bank account.
3. Legal/supervisors opinion regarding the number of petitions - ballot language -- placement on next ballot.
4. Collect 10% of the electorate in signed petitions to place it on the ballot (lots of work and/or money) -- about 56,000 validated cards
From the Charter
Section 15.01. Recall by voters.
Any officer elected in any consolidated government or school board election may be removed from office in the following manner:
(a) A petition demanding an election of a successor of the elected official sought to be removed shall be filled with the supervisor of elections.
(b) In the petition for recall of a person elected in the city at large, there shall be included the signatures of qualified voters equal to 10 percent of the number of voters registered in that district at the time of the election of the person sought to be removed.
(c) In the petition for recall of a person elected in a district election, there shall be included the signatures of voters qualified to vote in that district equal to 10 percent of the number of voters registered in that district at the time of the election of the person sought to be removed.
The petition shall contain a general statement of the grounds for which the removal is sought. Copies of petitions may be executed, but one of the signers of each copy shall affirm under oath before an officer competent to administer oaths that he believes that each signature to the copy is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. Within 15 normal working days from the date of filing such petition, the supervisor of elections shall examine the petition and ascertain whether the petition is signed by the required number of persons and whether such persons are qualified voters as shown by the registration books. He shall attach to the petition his certificate showing the result of such examination. If the supervisor of elections determines that the petition is insufficient, it may be amended within 15 days from the date of said certificate. The supervisor of elections shall, within 15 days after such amendment, make like examination of the amended petition. If he again determines that the petition is insufficient, it shall be returned to the person filing the same, without prejudice, however, to the filing of a new petition to the same effect. If the supervisor of elections shall determine that any petition is duly executed and in proper form, he shall at once order and fix a date for holding a recall election not less than 30 days or more than 60 days from the date on which he determines the petition to be sufficient. The supervisor of elections shall make or cause to be made publicationof notice of such recall election. A majority of the votes cast in such election shall be required to remove the officer. Upon such removal, a vacancy shall exist in the office.
(Laws of Fla., Ch. 69-1173; Laws of Fla., Ch. 72-572; Ord. 84-1307-754, § 13; Laws of Fla., Ch. 92-341, § 1)
Ocklawaha
October 01, 2007, 04:53:28 PMMich als dein neuer Stadtführer und -bürgermeister ernennen.
Ocklawaha The New Burgermeister of Jacksonville! (How long will it take to round up the JTA staff?)
Smile...
Ocklawaha
gatorback
October 02, 2007, 06:47:43 AMOck: Nature hasn't produced a time-warp fast enough to round that JTA staff up in MHO.
Oh my
October 02, 2007, 08:42:02 AMPlease post more information on when we get started.
gatorback
October 02, 2007, 09:58:54 AMyes. Recall Major Nut-job. I call him that out of respect for mayors.
raheem942
November 06, 2007, 12:02:24 PMJohnny
November 08, 2007, 07:10:55 PMDude, this is compelling stuff. It might work & Jacksonville would get some national news out of it too. It's a win/win.
gatorback
December 20, 2007, 10:19:43 PMSo how is Payton doing these days?
blizz01
December 21, 2007, 02:46:36 AMCould be one of the most forgettable mayors in Jax history - what will his legacy be?
jeh1980
December 21, 2007, 07:26:19 AMI would rather see Mayor Peyton shape up first
spidey
December 21, 2007, 07:45:34 PMHere is Ron Littlepage's column in the TU today....I think it pretty much answers your question, Gatorback:
December 21, 2007
Saving millions on new courthouse is no-brainer
By RON LITTLEPAGE
The Times-Union
With the year winding down, things that should have been accomplished in 2007 weren't.
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Construction on the courthouse still hasn't begun and the plan Mayor John Peyton finally settled on would cost a ridiculous amount of money.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to Peyton's $400 million solution.
One of those is being pushed by architect Jack Diamond. He says the little used Prime Osborn Convention Center could be converted into a courthouse for $200 million.
If true, Diamond's suggestion has numerous positive benefits besides saving taxpayers a bundle of money, including recouping the money spent on six downtown blocks for the courthouse site by selling the property and putting it back on the tax rolls.
Whenever I mention Diamond's idea during talks to civic groups, it's met with enthusiasm.
City Council President Daniel Davis has made it clear that the council won't rubber stamp Peyton's plan, but will consider all good options.
If the Prime Osborn idea works, it's a no-brainer.
Also this year, downtown didn't make the strides it should have. In fact, some would argue the momentum stopped or even went backward.
The Landing is still just the Landing. The grand plans for it haven't materialized. And construction on the parking garage that was supposed to be the key for putting new life into the Landing has yet to begin.
When the Super Bowl was played here, there was enthusiasm for downtown's possibilities. Clearly, the riverwalks on the Northbank and Southbank could be linked together. Just as clearly, the right events would bring droves of people downtown and add life.
That all seems a distant memory now.
So does this past promise: We will make our parks system not only the biggest in the nation but the best.
Talk about going backward.
Our parks system is severely underfunded, and Peyton and the City Council did nothing to change that this year.
And the advisory commission that was supposed to help chart the future of our parks and find additional funds to get us there met one time and hasn't been heard from again.
A lot of excuses can be made for what didn't get done in 2007.
The courthouse is such a debacle, and the judges are so stubborn in their demands, that the project is cursed.
The collapse of the real estate market hurt downtown. And needed revenue that would have helped the parks system wasn't available thanks to the meddling of Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature.
But the bottom line is that progress that would have made Jacksonville a better city didn't take place in 2007.
Hopefully, 2008 won't be a year of excuses but a year of action.
ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4284
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122107/opl_227403979.shtml.
Charles Hunter
December 21, 2007, 11:06:17 PMPut the courthouse at the convention center, and you kill any chance of making it a transportation center. Including squashing adding Amtrak or Commuter Rail.
gatorback
December 25, 2007, 07:27:05 PMAm who? Comm What? I'm sure with the people and programs in place we don't have to worry if the mayors office will screw us or this up.
Beloki
February 11, 2008, 03:32:10 PMWhy don't we call on everybody driving downtown to "honk their horns" exactly between 7:59 and 8:00 for 1 minute if they agree that Peyton should step down for doing such a poor job..... Cheap signs along the roads leading to downtown should do the job............ What is Peyton's Legacy in this city?
JeffreyS
February 12, 2008, 02:16:59 PMPeyton's legacy is that he couldn't get projects completed. Even though the funding was put in place for him he wouldn't get anything done.