MAUMEE, Ohio — In Maumee, some are so fed up with city administration that a group of citizens is launching a campaign to oust current leadership.
"None of us that are involved in this are happy that our city has to go through this," said Maumee resident Dana Johnson, one of the leaders of Maumee Matters.
He says members want to almost entirely replace the city's government by replacing Mayor James MacDonald, city administrator Patrick Burtch and all of the eight-member city council, except for Philip Leinbach.
"Phil has been the only person on council who has consistently shown an ability to listen, to self-reflect, to admit mistakes," Johnson said.
Over the next few months, the group plans on filing recall petitions for each seat.
Johnson says the root of the group's frustrations largely stems from a pair of recent attempts at city ordinances, including Ordinance 20-2024, repealed in July, which at the time required homes for sale in city limits to have sewer line connections inspected and for owners to pay for potential repairs, and Issue 2, a rental property ordinance which 76% of voters rejected in the general election.
"When you dig into these two ordinances, I think they are probably two of the most egregious pieces of legislation this city has probably ever seen," Johnson said.
Johnson said the group is working to have people ready to challenge each role in the government, and that it will need to gather 861 signatures for each petition to be considered.
The city and MacDonald provided the following statement to WTOL 11:
“The Mayor and City Council remain steadfast in our commitment to serving the residents of Maumee, listening to their concerns, and making thoughtful, informed decisions that benefit everyone.
While we have faced significant challenges, we are proud of the progress we have made across many areas and continue to prioritize the needs of our community moving forward.
It is disheartening that this vocal group is now attempting to advance their personal agenda through a recall effort, which ultimately undermines the positive work being done for the benefit of our city. This group has consistently worked to create division and negativity, opposing every decision made by the Council over the past year. Their actions have contributed to a toxic environment of tension and discord.
Despite these efforts, we remain fully committed to working in harmony and unity to build a brighter future for the citizens of Maumee."
City council president Gabriel Barrow says he's known about the recall threat.
"I probably heard about this recall probably 2-3 months ago," Barrow said. " I said 'sure' and some of the conversations were 'if you get up and announce, your administrator will go away' and you'll keep your job. I said 'have a nice day'."
Barrow does recognize that his days on council could be numbered, but he says the right solution for the future is for residents to have faith.
"You have to believe in your city," he said. "You have to believe in the people that were legitimately voted into office. These are hardworking people. Everyone on council is hardworking."