As Arizona voters geared up for the Presidential Preference Election on Tuesday, Camp Verde voters were digesting the recent recall election targeting Vice Mayor Bruce George.
George was the last man standing in a recall that initially targeted four members of the council who effectively approved a sales tax increase. The vote itself was publicly noticed and conducted in the normal fashion after several meetings on the issue prior to the vote. The recall proponents did not allege those four officials who voted for the tax increase did anything wrong or illegal, they simply did not like the vote and pursued a recall.
Mayor Charles German, Councilwomen Robin Whatley and Jessie Jones-Murdock all escaped the recall attempt because opponents did not get enough voters’ signatures to add their name to the ballot.
That left George as the only member of council facing the recall. There was a paperwork snafu later requiring a judge’s opinion, but to save the town roughly $30,000 it would cost to fund the election, George resigned. A judge said it was too late, so George rescinded the resignation. George’s temporary resignation created a Catch-22 demonstrating he was serving the public good by trying to save the town money and did not deserve to be recalled for not serving the public good by voting on the sales tax.
So the vote went forward, and George was retained with 52.38 percent of the vote. The council remains unchanged, but now the town is $30,000 poorer.
Recalls are a vital component of the American electoral process, but should not be used lightly.
In a regular election, voters are asked to choose between a slate of candidates, some of whom may be incumbents, and hopefully the best candidate is chosen. Conversely, a recall asks voters to deem an incumbent unfit to hold office, while also promoting a replacement candidate who is hands-down better for the office.
When there is evidence of gross mismanagement, corruption, violation of the public trust or abuse of power, then a recall is the surest way forward to remove a corrupt official before the end of the their term. But if an official is an otherwise stand-up public figure with no evidence of impropriety, then a replacement, no matter how noble, is at a distinct disadvantage.
George’s recall opponent, Leah Robbins, may run for council this year, but voters must weigh her merits with the added handicap of being associated with a failed recall that cost the town money it can hardly afford to waste, which necessitated the sales tax increase in the first place.
Regular elections should be enough to keep our officials honest and our governments working efficiently. Arizona residents were given the scalpel of a recall process in our state’s Constitution to cut out the tumor of corruption. That wise gift should not be used as a mallet to hinder effective governance.
