Ruth Herbel recall, Marion, Kansas (2023)

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Ruth Herbel recall
Officeholders
Ruth Herbel
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
201 signatures
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Kansas Kansas recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall City Councilwoman Ruth Herbel did not go to vote in Marion, Kansas.

Recall supporters

Supporters of the recall campaign included Mayor David Mayfield, Jami Mayfield, Margaret Wilson, Steve Hart, Kathern Swan, and Morgan Makovec Looney.

The recall petition gave the following grounds for the recall effort: "[M]isconduct in office: (1) violation of KSA 75-4317 Kansas Open Meetings Act by texting councilors Zach Collett, Christ ... Costello and Jerry Kline on Nov. 3 at 3:16pm, which is considered a serial meeting and (2) violating City Code 1-401 Oath of Office by revealing executive session information regarding employee personnel information and attorney-client privilege information to the public, via Eric Meyer with Marion County Record."

Recall opponents

Herbel denied that she had violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act. She said that she had accidentally hit "reply all" when she texted "Thanks" in response to a message about an event the city had planned with St. Luke's Hospital.

Herbel gave the following comment about the second allegation in the recall petition: "My supposed violation of my oath to defend the U.S. and state constitutions and faithfully discharge my duties is based on my choosing, as can any elected official under state law, to disclose what was said in an illegally convened executive session that led to an unlawful firing that could cost the taxpayers as much as $75,000. ... Public officers are fiduciaries and trustees of public interest, and they owe an undivided loyalty to the people they serve. ... Recall is for officials who have broken the law, which I haven't done."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Kansas

For a recall election to be scheduled, organizers would have needed to collect 201 signatures from registered voters within 30 days. No signatures were submitted to the county clerk by the deadline for certification.

See also

• Recall campaigns in Kansas
• Political recall efforts, 2023
• City council recalls

External links

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• Marion, Kansas