Recall Fever in the U.S.: U.S. Mayors To Release Documentary on the Destructive and Costly Impact of Local Recall Elections, Share Survival Strategies

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Taking a look at several recent recall elections, The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) will release an original documentary titled "Recall Fever" on local recall efforts and the growing movement around the country to enact recalls on the mayoral level.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110125/MM36443LOGO)

Featuring the mayors of Akron, OH, Chattanooga, TN and Omaha, NE, "Recall Fever" will be shown at the National Press Club on Tuesday, April 12th, during an afternoon panel discussion with the mayors, who will then take questions from the audience and openly discuss the strategies used in their cities to grow the recall effort, as well as strategies used to survive the recall.  

"Efforts to recall mayors are on the rise," stated U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran who serves as the documentary's correspondent and moderator of the panel at the National Press Club. " We produced this documentary to not only educate our mayors on what is happening in the country and what they need to know about their local recall statutes, but also to help educate the general public about the economic and political costs of recall elections."

In these challenging economic times, many local leaders around the country who have done nothing illegal are finding themselves the targets of angry voters who are expressing their feelings — often times in destructive ways — about budget cuts at the ballot box.   The recalls also cost money that local governments cannot afford given other demands for services. According to Governing Magazine, Ballotpedia (a nonprofit that tracks recall elections) has identified 57 mayors who faced recall attempts last year, up from 23 in 2009.  Fifteen mayors have already faced recall attempts in 2011.

WHO: Akron, OH Mayor Don Plusquellic, USCM Past President
Chattanooga, TN Mayor Ron Littlefield, USCM Trustee
Omaha, NE Mayor Jim Suttle
Moderator - Tom Cochran, USCM CEO and Executive Director

WHAT: Viewing of USCM Documentary "Recall Fever" (just under 30min) and Panel Discussion/Q & A with Mayors of Akron, Chattanooga, and Omaha

WHEN: Tuesday, April 12th
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

WHERE: National Press Club
First Amendment Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, D.C.  20045

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.  

SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors