Group seeking to recall Nelsonville’s charter City Council files petitions with the city
By: Haley Richardson
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – The group behind an effort to recall all members of Nelsonville’s charter City Council has filed its petitions with the city’s clerk.
If the clerk determines they have gathered enough signatures, the City Council will need to schedule a special election to vote on the recall.
This is the latest development in Nelsonville’s ongoing struggle to determine the rightful government after voters passed a ballot initiative to abolish the charter and reestablish a statutory government in November 2024. That initiative is known as Issue 23.
Nelsonville previously operated under a statutory government, where the city was run by an independently elected mayor and council, until it adopted the charter about 30 years ago.
Under Issue 23, Nelsonville’s charter was supposed to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, with newly elected statutory council members and a mayor taking office Jan. 1.
This spurred several lawsuits that sought to determine the validity of candidates who were running for positions under Issue 23 and the legitimacy of the repeal itself.
No court has concretely ruled on either issue, but the Ohio Supreme Court is currently reviewing another legal action looking to answer both questions.
As a result, members of the charter council remained in their positions come Jan. 1, while a separate council consisting of candidates who were elected to statutory positions under Issue 23 began holding separate meetings. The statutory council does not have access to City Hall, nor to the city’s accounts.
Since January, both councils have continued meeting regularly, claiming each is the rightful government. The recall organizers hope to finally resolve the issue.
Statutory council President Sherman said he dropped the petitions off at City Hall on Tuesday for the clerk to review.
According to the charter, the clerk has 10 days after the petitions were submitted to determine if there are enough valid signatures. The charter requires the petition to be signed by at least 15% of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election.
The most recent clerk, Erica Padgett, resigned from her position Sept. 14 to take on a new role as the city’s project coordinator. Charter council President Cameron Peck said that while the city interviews candidates to replace her, she will still review the petitions.
If the petitions are valid, the charter council would need to pass an ordinance at its next regular meeting directing the Athens County Board of Elections to put the recall on the ballot.
However, the recall committee missed the deadline to put local issues on the ballot for the general election in November. Because of this, Nelsonville will need to schedule and pay for a special election.
Board of Elections Director Tony Brooks estimated a special election would cost the city around $8,000, or $2,000 per precinct.
It is unclear when the special election would be held and what would happen if the recall effort is successful.