Group plans meeting to discuss recalling Mayor Cranley

A Facebook group called "Recall Mayor John Cranley" has announced a late September town hall meeting in Clifton.

The group has 199 "likes" and made its first post Sept. 10. The page's description states the group is dedicated to recalling the mayor and "passing a ballot initiative to ensure a recall."

"With the most recent firing of Cincinnati Police Chief Blackwell citizens have had enough of a mayor who has put major corporations above citizen interests," a post dated Sept. 10 stated. "Since John Cranley has taken office he has disregarded the public and forced his agenda on the public with no regard for the Democratic process. Cincinnatians deserve better."

Cranley's office said they were made aware of the page Wednesday, but the mayor isn't put off by the group.

The mayor's office also insists that recalls of the mayor and council members are not allowed under the city charter, citing a 1976 Ohio Supreme Court ruling (State Ex Rel. Lockhart v. Boberek).

The ruling stated the provisions of Ohio's recall laws "go into effect only to the extent that they have been adopted by the voters of a municipal corporation as part of a home-rule charter."

This summer, Cleveland.com – exploring mayoral recall rules – quoted a "law department" official as saying that it wasn't clear whether the charter or state law would prevail.

"The Charter is entirely silent as to removal of any elected officials in Cincinnati," the law department wrote in a statement to Northeast Ohio Media Group. "Whether or not state law removal procedures are applicable to Cincinnati's elected officials has not been decided by any Cincinnati court."

If recalls aren't currently allowed in the city, a charter amendment would be required before any recalls could take place.

“Mayor Cranley is proud of his record of putting the city’s financial house in order, solving its pension crisis, adding cops to the streets and growing the economy,” said Kevin Osborne, the mayor’s spokesman in a statement. “He intends to run for reelection in 2017 and the voters will certainly have their say then. The mayor looks forward to putting his record before citizens and letting them decide.”

Recalls are easier in other Ohio cities without charters or "home rule" powers, because the Ohio Revised Code does dictates rules for recall elections.

The Ohio Revised Code dictates that, in order for a recall initiative to make the ballot, a petition must have enough signatures to equal 15 percent of the number of people who voted on the most recent regular municipal election.

If state law does apply to Cincinnati, which may have to be determined in court, the number of signatures needed for a recall initiative to make the ballot would be based on past elections.

The 2014 charter revision saw 73,178 ballots cast, and 59,692 ballots were cast in the 2013 mayoral election, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections.

Under state law, that would mean the group could need as many as 10,977 signatures for the initiative to make the ballot.

The town hall meeting is scheduled for Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Clifton Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County on Brookline Avenue.

Over 500 people have been invited to the meeting via the Facebook event page at the time of this report.