'Too much work, too little return': Calgary council to discuss recall legislation
CTV
Calgary city councillors will debate a process to initiate recall petitions this week, which could potentially see those same councillors ousted from their jobs.
Calgary city councillors will debate a process to initiate recall petitions this week, which could potentially see those same councillors ousted from their jobs.
Many political observers believe mounting a successful recall campaign aimed at a civic politician is nearly impossible.
"It isn't very realistic, but it wasn't designed to be. It was designed to have a very high threshold," said Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt.
"There are two major motivations for recall legislation – one is symbolic. That was to be able to say that you shouldn't have to wait between elections, that councillors should be responsible to the voters throughout.
"The other is as a failsafe – if nothing else works, then you have this slim possibility."
Most election analysts believe Ward 4 councillor Sean Chu is the most likely to face a recall.
Chu has rejected repeated calls to step away from city council after it surfaced that he had been accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1997, when he was a police officer.
