A recall election seeking to remove Bruce Speirs from his position as chair of the three-member Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District Board in Arizona is on the ballot on November 3, 2020. Walter Krushinsky filed to run against Speirs in the recall election.
Recall supporters said that Speirs’ actions while on the board had “demoralized the department, divided the community, inhibited recruitment efforts and resulted in reduced participation of volunteer firefighters.”
Speirs responded to the recall effort, saying “Most of the accusations against me actually reflect the unethical behaviors of the FORMER Fire Chief, including holding secret neighborhood meetings to pit developments within our Fire District against one another and protect the illusion of his management.”
Recall supporters needed to submit 18 signatures to get the recall on the ballot. They submitted 49, and the county verified 43. Speirs had the option to resign by July 1 or face the recall election. He did not resign, and the election was scheduled for November 3. The filing deadline for candidates was September 4.
In 2019, Ballotpedia covered a total of 151 recall efforts against 230 elected officials. Of the 66 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 34 were recalled for a rate of 52%. That was lower than the 63% rate and 57% rate for 2018 and 2017 recalls, respectively.
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