zach wickIntroduction
This was originally written and shared as a circular on October 9th, 2024. This document served as the basis for a Community Meeting that occurred on October 14th, in which approximately 70 Carey citizens came together to discuss and decide what we can do to move the Village of Carey forward from our recent spate of government officials resigning.
Actions that can be taken
A variety of actions are available to the citizens of Carey. Each potential action has its own pros and cons, and some have implied timing considerations. Some of these actions have an implied ordering and in being done subsequently, they can perhaps affect more change than they would if done individually in an alternative order.
A recall election
By virtue of being a statutory village, the citizens of Carey could attempt to recall Mayor Chad Kin and/or Council Member Evaristo Hernandez. The process for this is laid out in ORC §705.92. The first step of this process is to submit a valid petition to the Board of Elections. A valid petition needs a number of signatures of qualified electors (registered voters residing in Carey) at least as great as 15% of the number of total votes cast at the most recent regular municipal election. Each proposed replacement of the to-be-recalled official must submit their own candidacy petition that has a number of signatures of qualified electors that is at least 10% of the total votes cast at the most recent regular municipal election for the head of the ticket (i.e., the office from which the incumbent is sought to be recalled from).
While these signature thresholds seem easily surmountable, this same section of the ORC reads in part
The question of the removal of any officer shall not be submitted to the electors until such officer has served for at least one year of the term during which the officer is sought to be recalled.
This means that Mr. Hernandez cannot be subject to a recall election until at least January 3, 2025 and that Mr. Kin cannot be subject to a recall election until at least October 8, 2025.
Until those dates are closer to the present day, directly pursuing recall elections for these officials will be a wasted effort.
A petition of no-confidence
As a recall election is not a viable short-term solution, citizens of Carey could instead construct their own petition of signatures of qualified electors who wish to register a "vote of no-confidence" in Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Kin. Such a petition, delivered to Carey's Village Council during a regularly scheduled meeting would make a powerful statement. Such a petition could contain verbiage that the undersigned wish to express their desire for Messrs. Kin and Hernandez to resign their respective offices immediately. This seems the most prudent first step to take
A continued vocalization of no-confidence
Until Messrs. Kin and Hernandez resign, a campaign could be undertaken to have Carey residents sign up to speak at Village Council meetings. Each speaker could give a prepared remark expressing their desire for Messrs. Kin and Hernandez to resign their offices effective immediately. Council's rules of procedure allow for each member of the public who so desires to have up to two (2) minutes to speak at Village Council meetings. A series of 20-50 residents, each expressing the same sentiment for one to two minutes in succession would make a very powerful statement. If that performance was repeated at every Village Council meeting until Messrs. Kin and Hernandez resigned, I suspect that their resolve to hold onto their offices despite an unsupportive electorate would show evidence of their continued desire to not work for the best interest of Carey, despite what they may claim about their actions. This seems the most likely step to effect change
Proposed statement
I am here today to express my desire for Mr. Kin and Mr. Hernandez to resign their respective offices effective immediately. My position comes not from a place of personal grievance, but out of a deep commitment to the well-being and future of our village. Their recent actions and overreach beyond their official duties and powers have created a rift between Carey's government and its citizens. For the sake of restoring trust, harmony, and effective governance, I urge Mr. Kin and Mr. Hernandez to resign their positions and allow new voices and fresh perspectives to guide our village forward.
What then?
Let us assume for a minute that Messrs. Kin and Hernandez do overcome their vanity and resign their offices as the vocal portion of Carey citizens would like. What then should the citizens of Carey do to ensure that malicious actors cannot again usurp power in the Village? Are there other political projects that would now be achievable through the concerted efforts of an engaged citizenry? Perhaps the Village's income tax rate ought to be lessened to 1.25%? Perhaps Carey's Zoning Ordinance needs overhauled or completely scrapped? There are surely other potential projects in others' minds that would be even more beneficial to Carey citizens and to Carey itself. The engaged portion of the body politic can be a powerful agent of change if concentrated and directed at appropriate targets. Let us survey the body politic and learn what changes could be beneficial and work to seeing those changes made after the government is righted.
Regardless of where the focus of this group points once Messrs. Kin and Hernandez are no longer in office, this group should have an opinion on who fills the vacancies created by their resignations. When Mr. Kin resigns as mayor, the President of Council at that time will become the next mayor. Prior to his resignation, this group should work to put a President of Council in place that we can trust to serve ethically and responsibly in the best interest of Carey. Given that there are currently three (3) council vacancies to fill, and then for Council to elect a new President of Council, this body of engaged citizens should seek to fill these council vacancies with people who would be well-placed as President of Council and eventually as Mayor.
Next steps
A meeting should be held at which all concerned citizens of Carey can come together and decide on a course of action(s) to take and assign individuals responsible for carrying out each particular part. I suggest that this meeting take place on October 14th at 5p. Bring a chair, an open mind, and heart full of the desire to do the best for the Village to Carey to 355 E. South St (where the Carey school used to be) and let's work together to make Carey better.