A group called Unite Norman recently spent weeks gathering signatures to start a recall petition trying to get rid of their Democrat Mayor after she made a decision to defund the police.
The city of Norman recently did budget cuts to their police department which sparked a backlash from the community.
The group collected well over 20,000 signatures and they needed to have at least 18,124 signatures to be able to remove Mayor Breea Clark from office and city council member Alison Petrone.
Unite Norman submitted signatures Friday in an attempt to initiate recall proceedings for Mayor Breea Clark and Councilmember Alison Petrone. The Norman city clerk has 30 days to verify and count the signatures before a recall election can take place.https://t.co/8rktkrBX76
— KGOU – Your NPR Source (@kgounews) August 16, 2020
Once they are through in Oklahoma could they go to Seattle, New York & Chicago?https://t.co/dbLr02ytmP
— Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) August 16, 2020
Fox News had this to say about Norman Unite collecting enough signatures to get rid of their Mayor:
A group that launched an effort to oust an Oklahoma mayor who voted in June to slash police department funding has claimed to have gathered enough signatures on its recall petition, according to a report.
Norman Mayor Breea Clark, a Democrat, did not comment Friday on the effort to force her recall in a vote January, the Oklahoman reported.
A group called Unite Norman spent weeks gathering signatures on the recall petition.
The deadline for filing the petition was Friday, the paper reported. The group reported gathering the signatures from 20,560 Norman voters. They needed at least 18,124.
Norman Mayor Breea Clark listens during a city council meeting Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Norman, Okla. An effort to recall Clark and some council members over face mask requirements and a vote to divert police funds elsewhere is underway. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“What we just did was historic,” Unite Norman co-founder Russell Smith told supporters outside City Hall, the paper reported.
“It’s about the issues here in this town,” he said. “It’s about taking our town back. It’s about not having radicals in power. It’s about centering the shift.”
The signatures were submitted to Norman City Clerk Brenda Hall for verification.
The paper reported that Clark was withholding comment until the signatures were verified.
“In the meantime, I will continue to focus on doing my job instead of worrying about losing my job,” she said, according to the paper.
The group was also angry with Clark over her order requiring that masks be worn in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The recall effort also targeted four members of the Norman City Council, including one who has since resigned.
Of the other three, Unite Norman said it had enough signatures to recall one City Council member, Alison Petrone, but not the other two, Kate Bierman and Stephen Holman.
The May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis led to calls across the country to defund police.
The Oklahoman reported this about the successful petition to get rid of the Mayor of Norman:
NORMAN — Organizers of the group attempting to remove Mayor Breea Clark and three city council members for “defunding” police and failing to “uphold the will of the people” said Friday they had collected more than enough signatures to support a recall petition for Clark but not for council members Kate Bierman and Stephen Holman.
“What we just did was historic,” Unite Norman co-founder Russell Smith told about 100 enthusiastic supporters outside City Hall on Friday, the group’s deadline for turning in petition signatures. “It’s about the issues here in this town. It’s about taking our town back. It’s about not having radicals in power. This is about centering the ship.”
The petition to recall Clark requires 18,124 signatures, or 25% of registered voters in Norman. The group reported turning in 20,560 signatures Friday in favor of recalling the mayor.
Clark reserved comment until the signatures have been verified by City Clerk Brenda Hall. “In the meantime, I will continue to focus on doing my job instead of worrying about losing my job,” she said.
It’s great to see citizens making changes. A lot of people probably don’t even know they have the power to get rid of elected officials through a recall petition. Hopefully, we see more cities get rid of their democratic controlled mayors.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!