Recent actions to recall Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway fell through Tuesday because the effort failed to submit the required number of signatures and petition paperwork.
The leader of Recall Satya 2020, Jon Rygiewicz, established the movement July 8 on the basis that Rhodes-Conway has not been a reliable leader amid city shutdowns and riots.
At the height of the movement, Recall Satya 2020 established a petition to recall Rhodes-Conway. Recall Satya 2020 argued Conway has gone against her oath of office, playing into politics rather than supporting her citizens.
“This is the greatest non-partisan political project that I have ever witnessed,” Rygiewicz said in a Facebook post.
But the petition fell short in garnering enough signatures. According to state law, the petition must gather signatures of at least 25% of qualified electors from the last general election in the same district in 60 days. Over 140,000 votes were cast during the Madison 2018 general election, so Recall Satya 2020 would have needed around 36,200 signatures.
The 60-day deadline expired Sunday. While Recall Satya 2020 had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to submit all necessary documents, the City Clerk’s Office revealed it had only received up to 53 signatures, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The validity of the signatures is currently unverified, and the City Clerk does not intend to devote time or staff to verify them.
When interviewed by WSJ on Monday about why he did not turn in the paperwork for the recall, Rygiewicz said they simply did not get enough necessary signatures.
“We overcame a lot and stand here strong as [Rhodes-Conway] hides away,” Rygiewicz said in a Facebook post. “Her days are numbered. By the spring, we will be organized and retry this. This time we started with one. Next time we start with tens of thousands.”
Mayor Rhodes-Conway previously dismissed the recall movement.
Still, she has faced backlash from activists this summer who accused her of empathizing with the Madison Police Department, as well as criticism from MPD supporters who felt her apologies to the police as disingenuous.
“I am focused every minute on doing the job that the people of Madison elected me to do and I am not going to be distracted by a small group of people who want to divide this community,” Rhodes-Conway said.
Madison Mayor denounces alder’s use of profanity during City Council meeting
Despite the short-coming to push through the petition, Rygiewicz remains confident in Recall Satya 2020.
In a recent Facebook update, he urged his followers to stay engaged and stay in touch.
“If you are in my district, 13, please contact me so we can flip this seat,” Rygiewicz said in the post. “We cannot let them continue. I may file a recall against alder Max P. And most of all, Stay tuned for Recall Satya 2.0 coming in the spring 2021.”
