Recall effort launched against Mayor Justin Bibb
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Matthew Busch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is facing a formal recall effort, though if history is any indication, he shouldn't be sweating.
Why it matters: Recall attempts are rare in the city of Cleveland and have never succeeded, but they can signal political dissatisfaction.
Driving the news: A group calling itself the Accountable Cleveland Era submitted paperwork Thursday to start the recall process, citing concerns about spending and transparency.
- The activists have highlighted high travel costs, including a $50,000 trip to Martha's Vineyard last year that included a luxury SUV rental, premium hotel accommodations and a security detail.
What they're saying: "Those are the behaviors of someone who is just being a playboy, Bruce Wayne-style individual," one of the group's leaders, Juan Collado Diaz, told News 5.
Between the lines: The Accountable Cleveland Era's website is a subversion of the development platform Bibb unveiled last summer, and is styled after the city's website.
How it works: The Clerk of Council will now issue official petition forms, and organizers have 30 days to gather signatures from at least 20% of voters in the last municipal election — about 9,000.
- If they succeed, City Council must schedule a recall election within 40-60 days.
The other side: A Bibb spokesperson did not comment to Axios beyond directing us to the city charter for details on the recall process.
The big picture: Recall efforts often reflect frustration more than viable organizing.
Flashback: In 1978, residents nearly recalled Mayor Dennis Kucinich after he fired the police chief on live TV, having already populated City Hall with an "army of novitiates."
- Voters had grown tired of the tumult, even though they generally supported his populist platform.
- He survived the vote by 236 votes.
Voters in Cleveland Heights recalled Mayor Kahlil Seren last year after a string of scandals.
💭 Sam's thought bubble: The current complaints against Bibb are versions of many I've heard since his first term. They gesture toward displeasure — or even disillusionment — with a mayor whose highest-profile agenda can appear to be his own professional advancement.
- But Bibb won reelection in a landslide five months ago. And I haven't encountered widespread concern — nothing even approaching the vicinity of the Kucinich era.
- There's little to suggest, in other words, that a recall would be a success.
What's next: Constituents who object to Bibb's travel are in for a rough few years.
- Bibb already travels a lot — attending summits, meeting with politicians and executives — and will continue to do so as he lays the groundwork for his post-Cleveland career.