An effort to recall Marnie Glickman from her position on the Dixie School District Board of Trustees in California began on March 5 in the midst of a debate over changing the school district’s name. Glickman is a supporter of the name-change effort.

 

Supporters of the name change said the name Dixie is connected “to the violence, slavery and racism of the Civil War-era South,” while opponents of the effort “don’t want to erase history or lose the memories of their lives growing up in the community,” according to the Marin Independent Journal. The board is holding a public hearing on the name change on March 19.

 

In their notice of intent to recall, recall supporters said, “Trustee Glickman’s failure to act in the best interest of the Dixie School District as an elected fiduciary and trustee has caused her constituents, district staff and fellow board members to lose trust in Ms. Glickman’s ability to serve in a representative capacity to further Dixie School District’s goals.”

 

Glickman did not respond to the recall effort against her as of March 5. The Marin Independent Journal quoted a district parent, Teri Bleiweiss, who said Glickman advocated for underrepresented voices in the community. “Recalling Marnie Glickman will not silence people who oppose anti-Semitism and racism, nor will it halt their efforts,” Bleiweiss said.

 

Glickman is one of five members of the board of trustees. Her term expires in 2020. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters must collect 2,851 signatures from residents of the school district.

 

Ballotpedia has tracked four school board recall efforts in 2019 targeting nine board members. One recall effort has made it to the ballot so far this year. Both members were removed from office in that election.

 

In 2018, Ballotpedia covered a total of 206 recall efforts against 299 elected officials. Of the 123 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 77 were recalled for a rate of 62.6 percent. That was higher than the 56.9 percent rate and 56.3 percent rate for 2017 and 2016 recalls, respectively.