Tom Baker recall, Palomino Valley General Improvement District, Nevada (2024)
| Palomino Valley General Improvement District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 4, 2024 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in NV NV recall laws Special district recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Palomino Valley General Improvement District President Tom Baker in Nevada was initiated in 2024. The recall petition received a sufficient number of signatures to be placed on the ballot. Tom Baker was recalled in the election on May 4, 2024.[1]
Recall vote
Tom Baker recall, 2024
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
68.5
|
233 | ||
No |
31.5
|
107 | |||
Total Votes |
340 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The recall petition stated the following grounds for Baker's recall:[2]
| “ |
Thomas Baker, as a newly-elected trustee of the Palomino Valley GID, accepted the nomination and subsequent election to president of the board, when he was totally unqualified and inexperienced. As president, and against the advice of legal counsel, he blatantly violated the open meeting law. The attorney subsequently resigned. Mr. Baker, as president, stated there was a new “regime” and “get used to” it. “Regime” implies a dictatorship. The voters of this Valley do not elect dictators or kings. Mr. Baker spearheaded the termination of the contract with the long-time, highly knowledgeable Assistant to the Board, without any regard to the detrimental consequences that action would have on the PVGID. The contracted bookkeeper had already quit due to the ongoing turmoil created by the new “regime,” and the replacement bookkeeper resigned because there was no one left to train her. Mr. Baker’s lack of knowledge and unwillingness to ask questions or seek training on the fundamentals of serving on a government-regulated board is inexcusable. His reckless actions resulted in the loss of the contract workers who handled all the financial and administrative work for the PVGID. It is imperative that the head of the new “regime,” Thomas Baker, be recalled. [3] |
” |
Recall opponents
Baker responded to the recall petition as follows:[2]
| “ |
At the beginning of my second meeting as President I was threatened by three employees that if I didn’t step down, they would quit. I came to realize the GID was being run by the employees and not the duly elected Trustees. I decided to make the necessary changes to bring the GID into compliance with Nevada law. The GID was being run by a woman in North Carolina. The website was owned by her husband. The GID did not even have a mailbox the Board could access. Only the employee could say who could access the mailbox. I have hired a Bookkeeper and Assistant to the Board who both live in the Valley. The GID has its own mailbox. I was able to get a grant for the security cameras to protect the GID’s equipment at the yard. Policies are being put in place where needed to meet state and federal requirements. I have successfully completed Open Meeting Law, Ethics and Governance training. I also have decades of heavy equipment experience. Going forward I plan to continue to provide a valuable service to the Valley and continue to learn what our Valley needs and provide it. [3] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nevada
No specific grounds are required for recall in Nevada. Before a petition to recall is circulated, a notice of intent must be filed with the appropriate filing officer. The notice of intent must be signed before a notary public by three registered voters who have voted in the jurisdiction that elected the official in the last election. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of registered voters who voted in the general election at which the official was elected. Recall supporters have 90 days to circulate petitions.[4]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2023 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Washoe County, Nevada
- Recall campaigns in Nevada
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Special district recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Washoe County Registrar of Voters
- Palomino Valley General Improvement District
Footnotes
- ↑ Washoe County Registrar of Voters, "Recall of Trustee Thomas Baker," accessed May 24, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washoe County Registrar of Voters, "Recall of Trustee Thomas Baker," accessed May 24, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Chapter 306 - Recall of Public Officers," accessed February 17, 2023
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