Rookstool

JOHN DAY — The bar to force a recall election for the mayor of John Day is a little higher than previously announced.

The Committee to Recall Mayor Heather Rookstool has been notified by Grant County Clerk Brenda Percy that the threshold to initiate a recall election is 126 valid voter signatures, not 91 as she originally stated.

The signature requirement is based on the number of John Day residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election.

The committee submitted a recall petition with 139 signatures on Nov. 17, meaning that the effort could still move forward if as many as 13 of those signatures were found to be invalid. The group initially believed it had a buffer of 48 signatures.

Oren Wyss, a city employee who is spearheading the campaign to recall Rookstool, said the group has made no new efforts to gather signatures and will rely on the signatures they’ve submitted for now. The Committee to Recall Mayor Heather Rookstool will have until Feb. 15, 2024, to gather the required 126 valid signatures if more than 13 of the ones they’ve submitted are ruled invalid.

Percy said she will verify recall signatures by Dec. 15, after which she will notify Wyss as to whether the group has enough verified signatures to proceed with the recall election. Rookstool would have five days after the required number of signatures are verified to decide whether she would like to step down as the mayor of John Day or remain in office pending the outcome of the recall election.

Six days after the required number of signatures are certified, Percy would schedule a date for the recall election.

Percy said if there are already enough signatures to proceed with a recall, the election would be held on Jan. 16, 2024.

If Rookstool is recalled by a majority of voters, what happens next boils down to what the John Day City Charter says about the recall of elected city officials.

Section 16 (3) of the charter states that the mayor is a voting member of the council. Section 19 (1) lists a recall as one of the reasons the office of a council member becomes vacant.

Filling that potential vacancy is explained in Section 20 of the charter, which states: “A vacancy in the council shall be filled by appointment by the majority of the council.”

If Rookstool is recalled, the city council would invite applications from interested parties. The remaining council members would review the applications and vote to appoint a new mayor.

Any adult living in John Day would be eligible to apply for the office of mayor in the event Rookstool is recalled.