Any member of Council may be removed from office by the following procedure: a petition signed by at least ten percent of the qualified voters of the City shall be filed with the City Clerk, which petition shall contain a general statement of the grounds for which the removal is sought. Such petition shall be submitted, examined and certified in a manner provided in this Charter, and if such petition be deemed sufficient by the City Clerk, the Clerk shall certify the same to the City Council without delay. Upon receipt of such petition the Council shall order and fix a date for holding a special recall election, not less than thirty days nor more than fifty days from the date of the Clerk's certificate. The Council shall publish notice of the election once a week for three successive weeks in two newspapers of general circulation in the City. The ballot for such recall election shall be substantially of the following form and effect:
OFFICIAL BALLOT ..................... day of ............................ , 19..... Special recall election for the removal of A.B...................... For the recall of A.B.......................................... Against the recall of A.B..................................... |
Should a majority of the votes cast be in favor of recalling the member of Council, subject to this provision, such member of Council shall forthwith forfeit the Council seat and the Council shall, at its next meeting following the recall election, appoint a successor to such office for the unexpired term of same. If a recall petition bears the signatures of five thousand qualified voters of the City when certified to Council, the member of Council named therein shall be suspended from office pending the result of the recall election.
The method of removal shall be cumulative and in addition to any other methods of removal provided by law. No recall petition shall be filed within ninety days succeeding or preceding any regular Council election.