Flint mayoral recall headed for ballot in November

In this week's State and Local Tap, we begin in Michigan, where Genesee County Clerk John Gleason announced that a recall election would take place on   [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia](   [Facebook](   [Twitter](   [The Tap](   Good morning! This week we are back with another roundup of this week's important state and local political news. As before, you can [read the full rundown here](. If you haven’t yet told us what you think of our new format, please reply to this email and let us know! [Click here for the full review of the week in state and local politics](   Flint, Michigan, mayor faces recall election after fourth attempt is successful In Michigan, Genesee County Clerk John Gleason [announced]( that a recall election would take place on November 7, 2017, against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver after his office’s review of recall petition signatures determined that organizers had obtained a sufficient number to hold the vote. Weaver had [challenged]( the [recall effort]( against her on July 31, 2017, contending that up to 1,200 signatures that had previously been accepted by Gleason should be considered invalid due to irregularities or alterations that were made to either the signatures or the dates on the petitions. Gleason stated that his office performed a detailed examination of the recall documents and determined that a final total of 5,870 verified signatures had been submitted. A total of 5,750 verified signatures were needed for the recall question to move forward. The recall election of Weaver will take place on November 7, 2017, and the filing deadline for candidates wishing to run against the mayor will be August 14, 2017. - Recall organizer Arthur Woodson's current effort was his second attempt to recall Weaver this year and the fourth attempt made against Weaver since November 2016. All four efforts have focused on the city's approval of a waste management contract with one company while a contract with another company was in effect. The previous three recall petitions were rejected by the county elections board due to a lack of clarity in recall language. Weaver was first elected mayor in 2015 after defeating incumbent Dayne Walling, and is the city's first female mayor. Flint is located about 70 miles northwest of Detroit and is home to just under 100,000 residents.   Connecticut General Assembly approves labor deal with tie-breaking vote from Lt. Gov. Wyman - The [Connecticut General Assembly]( [approved]( a labor concessions deal with state employees unions that proponents say will save $1.57 billion in fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The [Connecticut State Senate]( approved the deal on July 31. The chamber was divided 18-18, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans opposed. Lieutenant Gov. [Nancy Wyman]( (D) cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the deal. The[Connecticut House of Representatives]( [approved]( the agreement on July 24 by a 78-72 margin. All Republicans and one Democrat were opposed. - The savings in the deal may help end a budget impasse that began when the General Assembly and Gov. [Dan Malloy]( (D) could not agree to a two-year tax and spending plan by the end of the 2017 fiscal year on June 30. Without a budget, state services are being funded at reduced levels via an executive order signed by Malloy. With the passage of the labor agreement, the state now [faces]( a $3.5 billion deficit over the next two years, down from $5.1 billion before the agreement. [According]( to The Hartford Courant, the budget impasse is the result of disagreements between Malloy and the General Assembly, internal strife in the majority Democratic caucus, and opposition by the minority Republican caucus. - The labor concessions deal was [negotiated]( by Malloy and state employees union leaders. It achieves savings through wage freezes for some state employees and increased health benefit and pension contributions. It also extends the existing labor agreement with the unions from 2022 to 2027. The deal was ratified by union members by an 83 percent to 17 percent margin. If the General Assembly had chosen not to act on it, the agreement would have gone into effect in 2018. - Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly. They have a 79-72 advantage in the House of Representatives and effectively control the 18-18 divided State Senate because Lieutenant Gov. Wyman (D) can cast tie-breaking votes. Republicans picked up seats in both chambers in the [2016 elections](. They could potentially flip the state’s Democratic trifecta in 2018 if they win both chambers and capture the governor’s office, which Malloy announced he was vacating in April 2017 . - Read more: [State budget conflicts, 2017]( [Connecticut State Senate elections, 2018]( and [Connecticut House of Representatives elections, 2018](   [States in session as of August 4, 2017]   Texas special session hits its halfway point - Tuesday marked the halfway point for a 30-day special session in Texas that began on July 18. Gov.[Greg Abbott]( (R) called the special session after the legislature failed to pass sunset legislation that would prevent the shutdown of five government agencies, including the Texas Medical Board. Abbot’s[special session proclamation]( and[supplemental call]( allowed for a more broad range of matters to be taken up during the special session. Among the 20 items on Abbott’s special session agenda is legislation related to bathroom usage, changes to property taxes, school finance, and mail-in ballot fraud. The additional agenda items, Abbott stated, could not be taken up until the Senate passed the sunset legislation.  - So far, the Senate has passed bills on 18 of the 20 agenda items laid out by Governor Abbott.  The House has passed bills covering six of the agenda items. - On July 18, two sunset bills were approved in Senate committee after Republicans[took measures]( to move the legislation past debate and straight into committee. Shortly after midnight on July 20, [SB 20]( and [SB 60]( were given[final approval]( by the Senate. Abbott officially expanded the special session agenda after the sunset legislation passed the Senate.  His July 20 proclamation allowed for bills to make changes to a state-run health care plan for retired teachers and the school finance system. The Texas Tribune[described this as a compromise]( with members of the House, whose disposition towards the expanded agenda has not been as favorable compared to members of the Senate.  The House passed an identical set of sunset legislation through [HB 1]( on July 25 and [HB 2]( on July 28.  Because the two sets of sunset legislation are not paired, one of the sets will need to be passed by the opposite chamber.  The House bills are currently further along in the Senate. [More on the 30-day special session in Texas](   General election ballot set for Washington special elections - [Special primary elections]( were held for five seats in the [Washington State Senate]( and three seats in the [state House](.  Washington uses a [top-two primary system]( meaning the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary move on to general election.  Two of the districts—SD45 and SD48—had three candidates competing to get on the general election ballot.  - In the race for Senate District 45, [Manka Dhingra]( (D) and [Jinyoung Lee Englund]( (R) defeated [Parker Harris]( (I).  [Unofficial results]( show that, with 28,612 votes cast, Dhingra earned 51.1 percent of the vote, Englund earned 42.1 percent, and Harris earned 6.8 percent.  [Campaign finance disclosures]( show that $2.5 million has been spent by candidates and groups independent from the candidates' campaigns.  Englund has raised $160,000 more in direct contributions than Dhingra, and independent expenditures have leaned towards Englund, with nearly $390,000 more being raised in support of the Republican candidate.  Dhingra has seen $180,000 more in independent expenditures in opposition.  Independent expenditures have made up nearly $1.6 million of the $2.5 million that has been spent on the race. - Partisan control of the state Senate is at stake in the November 7 special election. Democrats already have a numerical majority in the Senate. However, because Senator [Tim Sheldon]( (D) caucuses with the GOP, Republicans maintain effective control of the chamber.  The competitive nature of Senate District 45 affords Democrats the opportunity to gain full control of the chamber.  Control of the chamber would allow Democrats to more easily pursue their legislative agenda.  For Republicans, controlling the Senate means a check on the agenda of House Democrats and Governor [Jay Inslee](. [More on the special elections in Washington](   Maine State Legislature overrides 13 gubernatorial vetoes - In a [veto session]( the Maine State Legislature [voted]( to [sustain]( 14 vetoes issued by Gov. [Paul LePage]( (R) and to [override]( 13 others. Included in the legislation that the Legislature voted in favor of was a bill increasing the legal age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21, making Maine the [fifth state]( to up its age limit for buying products such as cigarettes. Included in the legislation that the Legislature voted against—i.e. to uphold the veto—was a bill prohibiting the use of handheld electronic devices such as cell phones while driving. Maine is one of 36 states that require a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto. [Read about this and other vetoes in Maine](   Rhode Island budget standoff comes to an end - With the state Senate’s [passage]( of a $9.2 billion budget, Rhode Island’s month-long budget standoff has come to an end. As required by state law, Rhode Island has been operating under the previous year’s budget since the beginning of the 2018 fiscal year on July 1, 2017. At the center of the standoff was a debate between House Speaker [Nick Mattiello]( (D) and Senate President [Dominick Ruggerio]( (D)  over motor vehicle taxes. - Leading up to the June 30 fiscal deadline, Mattiello had advocated for a six-year-phase repeal of motor vehicle taxes in Rhode Island. The [House]( [approved]( the repeal in a budget plan on June 23 in a 64-11 vote. When the [Senate]( took up the budget on June 30, it voted [30-5]( in favor of an amendment supported by Ruggerio that would suspend the car-tax repeal if state revenues proved lower than projected or if the economy declined. Mattiello protested the amendment, calling it a last-minute change and dismissed the House for [summer recess]( before a vote could take place. Ruggerio stated that Mattiello was aware of concerns voiced in the Senate about the financial sustainability of repealing the motor vehicle tax. Mattiello later said he had no plans to call the House back from recess. [More on the state budget conflict in Rhode Island](   [Current state government trifectas](   Iowa House District that intersects with Pivot County to elect new state representative after the death of Democratic incumbent - A special election to fill [Iowa House of Representatives]( [District 82]( will be held on August 8. The four candidates competing are [Republican]( [Travis Harris]( [Democrat]( [Phil Miller]( [Libertarian]( [Joshua Miller]( and [Constitution Party]( candidate [Edward T. Hee III](. The seat became vacant on June 16, 2017, when incumbent [Curt Hanson]( (D) died from cancer. - Travis Harris and Phil Miller were nominated at their respective party nominating conventions. Miller was unopposed at the Democratic convention, while Harris faced four challengers at the Republican convention and did not secure the nomination until the fourth round of voting. [Learn more about this special election in Iowa](   Chicago Public Schools’ $500 million loan projected to cost $1.35 billion - The [Chicago Public Schools]( (CPS) district completed its [issuance]( of $500 million in [general obligation bonds]( the majority of which mature in 2042 and 2046. The bonds, which carry interest rates of 6.75 and 7 percent, will eventually require the district to pay bondholders approximately $850 million in interest, bringing the total cost to $1.35 billion. The district said that it will initially use state aid to pay back the bondholders, and then use property taxes to pay what state aid does not cover. The terms of the loan also allow CPS to wait 20 years to pay a portion of the principal payments on 25-year loans. The district intends to use the majority of these bonds to pay off outstanding debts, and comes after the district took out two short-term loans in June 2017, totaling $389 million. Proponents of the bond issuance say that with inflation, the interest on the loan is only $405 million and that the district is investing in students’ education. Opponents say the district is wrong to issue long-term bonds to pay off short-term debts, and object to the interest costs that will be incurred by the district into the future. Chicago Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the U.S., serving 396,683 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 19 percent of all public school students in the state.   Seattle set to have its first female mayor in almost 100 years - The city of [Seattle]( held [general elections]( for mayor and the two at-large seats on its city council, but because elections are conducted primarily by mail in Washington, votes are still being counted. It appears certain that [Jenny Durkan]( will be one of the two candidates in the general election on November 7, 2017, since at press time she held a 14,000-vote lead over the current third-place candidate. Durkan’s opponent is still not known, since [Cary Moon]( leads [Nikkita Oliver]( by 1,400 votes and [Jessyn Farrell]( by 3,000 votes for second place. Since all four of the top vote recipients in the primary were women, Seattle will have its first female mayor since Bertha Landes was defeated in her bid for re-election as the city’s mayor 89 years ago. Incumbent [Ed Murray]( announced in May 2017 that he would not seek re-election to a second term. - The two at-large seats on the city council are known as Positions 8 and 9. For the Position 8 seat, Teresa Mosqueda and Jon Grant are currently the top two vote recipients in the race to replace [Tim Burgess]( but third-place candidate Sara Nelson is only 900 votes behind. The two general election candidates for the Position 9 seat are set, as incumbent [M. Lorena Gonzalez]( had 61 percent of the vote at press time, and challenger Pat Murakami was decisively in second place. Seattle is the largest city in Washington, and the [21st-largest city]( in the U.S. by population. [Click here for the full review of the week in state and local politics](   Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. [Donate Securely Online]( Decide which emails you receive from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe or adjust your preference](   Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics 8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600 Middleton, WI 53562 [Facebook](   [Twitter](