By Antonio D. French
Filed Monday, December 19 at 5:50 AM
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted Friday to pass a bill that aims to make it more difficult to recall city officials.
Board Bill #310, sponsored by Aldermen Jennifer Florida and Ken Ortmann, proposes new language for Section 9 of Article 3 of the City's Charter. It would add provisions that would severely limit when a recall could be done.
This is not the first time aldermen tried to make it harder to fire them. In 1989, the city's voters twice rejected attempts to change Article 3 as it pertained to the number of signatures required to recall officials and the time allowed for a recall effort.
Under the current proposal, within the 48-month term of an alderman, a recall could not be carried out in the first 6 months, last 6 months, or within 18 months of a previous attempt. And all recall attempts would be limited to 180-days from the day the petitions are picked up from the Board of Elections to the day they are turned in.
The bill would also require the election board to develop a uniform recall petition and to notify the official that is the target of the recall effort.
The bill does not include a provision that would prevent a recalled official from immediately running for the office again, as some critics of the bill had suggested.
To become law, voters must approve the measure by 60% or greater.
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