U.S. Conference of Mayors Fight Volatile "Recall Fever" Calling it "Destructive" and "Costly"

Unveil Documentary On Recall Elections Across Country

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Calling recent efforts to unseat elected officials during their terms "destructive" and "costly," The United States Conference of Mayors is launching a public awareness initiative called Recall Fever: Stop The Madness, and tackling one of the most volatile issues facing public officials at all levels of government — the growing movement around the country to enact recalls.

USCM will release an original documentary titled Recall Fever: Stop The Madness on local recall efforts this Tuesday, April 12th, at the National Press Club during an afternoon panel discussion featuring the mayors of Akron, OH, Chattanooga, TN and Omaha, NE, who have faced and survived recalls.

"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 or other issues 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 30 min) 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.  

Contact:
Elena Temple
202-309-4906
[email protected]
Karen Hinton 703-798-3109
[email protected]

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors