Maumee residents step up to run in recall election

MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) – Come late summer, there will be an issue on the ballot to recall Maumee City Council members and the mayor. Potential candidates are starting to step out into the spotlight. So why are they running and what changes will they bring to Maumee?

The recall election is not until September, but some candidates are starting early in order to get their names out into the community and talk about the changes they would like to see and be part of if they get elected.

It’s not hard to find the recall signs in Maumee. So why are potential candidates putting their hats in the ring?

“Their priorities are not what I believe that they should be. I think they should be prioritizing things that help all the citizens, not just a few,” said David Ross, a resident of Maumee who has decided to run for the recall election.

Ross was part of the recall effort and now plans to run against one of those six City Council members.

“Transparency is a big issue. I think that a lot of stuff, they don’t seem to want us to know what’s going on, they seem to make a lot of things secret. And everything at the council meetings, there’s never any discussion with the council members at the meetings or questions, they just seem to say yes on everything,” said Ross.

He said that although he lives in Maumee, he doesn’t feel like he’s part of the community.

“I don’t like when people are making decisions that affect me when I don’t have any say in it, and I feel kinda like that’s what’s going on here. We as the residents of Maumee are not getting enough say in what’s going on here,” said Ross.

Rosemarie Barciz just recently announced her choice to run, and said she feels like she’s on the outskirts, too and wants to help change that.

“One of the things I want to change is the abuse of emergency legislation. Another is citizen involvement. It should be welcomed instead of looked at with disdain and disgust, which is what I’ve seen on the faces of some council people when citizens get up and have the courage to make a comment,” said Barciz.

At the end of the day, both Ross and Barciz said they just want to be part of the change.

“A lot of what we get back from the city is it’s all about firing Patrick Burtch. That’s not what it’s about, it’s about we don’t feel like they are listening to the residents’ concerns and that they’re not being good stewards of our money,” said Ross.

Now, the way this election will work is the recall candidate and the replacement candidate will be on the same ballot. If the current City Council member has time left of their term and is recalled, the person who wins the recall would serve the remainder of their term and then be up for reelection.

Those who are running against a recall candidate who does not have time left would also need to run in the primary election as well as the recall election.

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