Originally published December 27 2005
Mayor of Spokane faces grim prospects in recall election
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Seattle Times reports on the predicament of James West, mayor of Spokane, Washington, who faces a recall election, a measure that has grown in popularity in recent years, though it has been a part of U.S. civic history for many years.
SPOKANE voters have the chance to join a growing number of cities throughout the country in a newly invigorated tradition --- ousting an elected leader by recall.
While it is a first for this city, there has been an expanding trend of both threatening and using the recall against local officials.
Mayor James West could survive Tuesday's ballot count, but judging by how other voters from across the nation weigh in on recalls, he probably should start making other plans for his career.
Despite its lack of public attention, it is well entrenched throughout the country.
Ever since its revival by Los Angeles in 1903, more than 60 percent of American cities and municipalities have adopted the recall for local officials, a total that exceeds the number possessing the initiative and referendum.
For example, in the 90-odd years that California has had the recall, governors were threatened with a recall 31 times before such an effort finally got enough signatures to get on the ballot.
In Spokane and Washington state, which both require malfeasance in office and must clear a judicial-review hurdle, it is much more difficult to get the recall to a vote.
Many of the people who have lost recall elections were removed under fire of corruption allegations.
Straight-out partisan attempts to remove an elected official mostly fall flat, even though Davis and a few other candidates certainly faced that problem.
Instead, recalls are frequently successful when they are run based on a single issue, such as raising taxes, or when an interest group feels betrayed.
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