Coleman bill to create recall elections process clears State Senate

If Sen. Coleman and his House author follow through on what he says here, it will be an improvement over his initial version of the bill, which was much more of a fox-guarding-the-hen-house affair (though, I'm not convinced Oklahoma needs this).

Coleman bill to create recall elections process clears Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28th) – The Senate has approved legislation from Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, to create a recall process for state elected officials to be removed from office. 

Before the legislation passed 31 to 15, Coleman vowed to make major changes to the bill in the coming weeks.

Senate Bill 990 currently establishes a process for the Oklahoma Legislature to initiate the recall of a statewide elected officer through a joint resolution, but Coleman said he plans to scrap that portion of the bill. He added that he wants to alter the bill so the recall process would be driven entirely by members of the public through an initiative petition. 

Sen. Coleman plans to file bill to establish recall election process (sort of)

Wait. Coleman's idea of a recall election is having the Legislature put specific recalls on the ballot, instead of citizen-initiated means? Isn't that just the fox guarding the hen-house? I mean, if we're going to have recalls, shouldn't it be done by the party that puts the elected officials into office, rather than the party who is subject to a recall?

Coleman to file bill to establish recall process for state elected officials

OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 12th) – Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, has requested legislation to ensure state elected officials remain accountable to Oklahoma voters.

Coleman said he intends to file legislation to amend Oklahoma’s Constitution to allow for recall elections of state elected officials.

Coleman said he is working with Senate staff to draft legislation that would allow the Oklahoma Legislature to refer recall propositions to the ballot so voters can decide whether to remove or retain a specific state official. Because the legislation would alter the state’s Constitution, it would have to pass both legislative chambers and then be approved by Oklahoma voters to become effective.

'Unite Norman' succeeds in getting councilmember recall certified

RECALL CERTIFIED! Unite Norman’s Recall Effort Certified for Council Member Petrone

Mayor’s Recall Certification Will Not Be Announced Till Tomorrow — and Unite Norman Cautions about Legal Precedence Below;

ALSO: Grassroots Groups Cautions against Council Member Bierman’s Planned Doxxing of List of Petition Signers in the Mayoral Recall effort, Citing Intimidation and Harassment

NORMAN — Unite Norman responded to the City Clerk’s announcement today that the signature-gathering effort to recall Council Member Petrone is certified and will now head to the ballot box.

The announcement comes after the grassroots organization turned in more than 20,000 signatures to recall Mayor Clark, and thousands of signatures to recall Council Member Petrone, and after forcing the resignation already of Council Member Wilson in Ward 5.

'Unite Norman': supporters of mayor "still don't get it" when claiming 30,000 recall signers were tricked

“THEY STILL DON’T GET IT” – Supporters of Soon-To-Be-Recalled Mayor, City Council Say 30,000 Normanites Must Have Been “Tricked” into Signing Petitions — Nothing Could be Further from the Truth, Voters Were Very Informed as Recall Was One of the Most-Covered Stories in Norman this Summer

Mayor, City Council Supporters Suggesting that All of the People Who Signed the Petition — Women, Democrats, Independents, Republicans, People under Age 50, and People over Age 50 — Must Have Been Tricked, They Can’t Possibly Have Decided for Themselves

Continued denial from city leaders shows they still don’t get it

Norman Recall story has been the biggest political story of the summer —voters were very informed by daily Media stories, newspaper ads, doorstep visits, and social media discussions

NORMAN (August 19th)  — Supporters of the mayor and city council are suggesting that 30,000 Normanites were “tricked” into signing petitions to recall the mayor and city council — but nothing could be further from the truth.

After a contentious summer debating the Defunding of Police, the Recall story has arguably become one of the biggest news stories in Norman and that state. To suggest that the citizens in Norman didn’t know what the recall was over is just disingenuous.

It is a tactic straight out of the Democrats’ playbook — a tactic that has been used in other Recall elections, such as the Colorado Recalls, where signature gatherers there also got above & beyond the required signatures.

“This mayor and city council still don’t get it,” said Russell Smith, co-founder of Unite Norman. “Thousands of volunteers spent hundreds of hours talking with residents of Norman on their doorsteps, at least 100 local TV stories were aired on the issue, and dozens of hours were spent talking with the media, and with the public on social media.

Unite Norman: Ringleader of protestors for Defund the Police vote ran Mayor’s campaign

THE PLOT THICKENS: “Concerned Norman Resident” Who Testified to Defund the Police Is Actually Mayor Clark’s Campaign Manager 

Plus: Al-Michael’s own Bio states he is a resident of Oklahoma City 

NORMAN — The man who spoke with media as a “concerned Norman resident” the night of the Norman mayor’s and city council’s action to defund the police turns out to be neither an ordinary citizen, nor a resident of Norman.

In a post unearthed today, Al-Michael lists himself on Facebook as Mayor Breea Clark’s Campaign Manager in a post on her Inauguration Day. Yet — neither he nor the mayor disclosed his role on the mayor’s political campaign when he served as the ringleader of a shouting mob inside city council chambers on the night of the vote, June 16 and 17.

In a televised interview following the vote, Mayor Clark admitted to KOCO 5 that agitated protestors had had an impact on her and the council — yet she never once mentioned that the ringleader of those protests inside chambers was her own campaign manager.

During official business surrounding the vote, she didn’t point out this conflict of interest, either.

According to public records, Al-Michael’s name shows up on the campaign committee for Breea Clark as being paid $1,250 for “political consulting services.” Yet not once during the hearings did the Mayor disclose that she had a fiduciary relationship with him.

Additionally, Al-Michael portrayed himself inside city chambers & to the Media as a concerned Norman resident — even though ALL of his online bios and even his own Facebook page states he resides in Oklahoma City. (For example, “Taz Al-Michael,” as he is also referred to in other publications, is according to his own bio, also a “community organizer based out of Oklahoma City.” Source: NewLeadersCouncil.org His own Facebook account also says he lives in Oklahoma City: https://www.facebook.com/tas608) Seems like both the Media, and the people of Norman got skunked.

“Why was it never disclosed that Mayor Clark’s own Campaign Manager and Political Consultant was testifying to defunding the police, and leading the protestors inside chambers that night?,” asks Russell Smith, co-founder of Unite Norman. “Is it possible this was all one big set-up? At a minimum, shouldn’t it have been disclosed that the Mayor’s own Political Consultant with whom she had a financial relationship was inside City Hall trying to affect the outcome of the result for the people of Norman?”

“This young man’s own bio states that he is an actor,” said Sassan Moghadam, co-founder of Unite Norman. “It sounds like this was quite a charade — with the Mayor playing the leading role and the city council members playing cast of characters that night.”

Group asks: did Norman mayor hire actor to testify before vote to defund police?

Here's the latest in the drama out of Norman, Oklahoma...

Did the Mayor Hire an Actor to Testify as a Concerned Norman Resident for the Vote to Defund the Police?

An “Actor” on the Mayor’s Payroll Was Paid $1,250 before Testifying -- Actor’s own Bio states he is a resident of Oklahoma City 

NORMAN — In a televised interview, Mayor Clark told KOCO 5 that loud agitators had been successful in swaying her and the city council inside council chambers in a dark-of-night 4a.m. vote on June 17th to strip nearly $1 million from police budgets.

According to public records, it appears now that at least one of those people who testified was an Actor — and had previously been on Mayor Clark’s payroll. Tasneem Ahmad Al-Michael is listed as an “Actor” on promotional materials from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

“Taz Al-Michael,” as he is also referred to in other publications, is according to his own bio, also a “community organizer based out of Oklahoma City.” Source: NewLeadersCouncil.org

Unite Norman: we have more Recall signatures than votes that elected Norman mayor

Unite Norman Announces They’ve Surpassed in Signatures the Number of Votes that Elected Mayor Clark
Grassroots Effort Achieves More than 6,700 Signatures So Far — A Greater Number than the Votes that Put the Mayor in Office“Overwhelming support” from Normanites to recall the mayor, says founder

Norman (July 20th) — Unite Norman — the grassroots group behind the effort to recall the mayor and city council for defunding the police and not upholding the will of the people — announced today they are well on their way to getting the recall effort on the ballot.

The grassroots group shared that they have now garnered more than 6,700 signatures — that’s more voter support than Mayor Clark was actually elected with.

“The people of Norman are speaking overwhelmingly,” said Russell Smith, the founder of Unite Norman. “We’re only about a third of the way there, and certainly have more work to do, but we’re strongly encouraged by the overwhelming response of support from the voters.”

Citizen Group launches Recall of Norman Council and Mayor

Citizen Group Launches Recall of Council and Mayor

In an unprecedented show of civic solidarity, Unite Norman today initiated recall proceedings for the office of mayor and every city councilor eligible for recall.    This submission comes on the heels of a meeting of more than 700 residents who braved over 90-degree temperature on Wednesday to receive volunteer training for signature gathering and learn more about the effort.

“When this city council succumbed to an angry mob at three o’clock in the morning and decided to undo months of budget discussions, we all said enough is enough. This is no way to run our city.  We care too much about Norman and our law enforcement officers to let Norman be run this way,” said Chris Dragg one of the unpaid citizens organizing the effort.

“We really want a council that focuses on Norman, not the hot national news issue of the day, said Russell Smith, another longtime Norman resident helping the campaign.  “Unite Norman is about making certain our leadership puts Norman first instead of promoting personal ideologies and bringing Washington D.C. style politics to Norman.  We are better than that,” Russell Smith continued.