ICYMI: Bariou Initiates Campaign to Recall Entire City Council and Mayor

SAN ANGELO, TX — John Bariou, with a mere two likes and two followers on Facebook, unveiled his ambitious plan to recall the entire San Angelo City Council and Mayor. Bariou aims to gather sufficient signatures for each elected council member, which would compel a recall election. He asserts that his movement is supported by numerous citizens who prefer to remain anonymous, citing concerns that revealing their identities may jeopardize their livelihoods or their issues before the City Council.

Gathering the required petition signatures will prove challenging and demanding, barring any significant scandal involving one or more council members. The last time a recall was seriously contemplated was in 2016, when Bill Richardson faced accusations of making racist remarks directed at Hispanic police officers. Ultimately, Richardson resigned before a recall effort could gain momentum.

The most recent petition movement seeking to influence city hall involved an initiative to make San Angelo a sanctuary city for the unborn. This initiative garnered widespread support within local churches where petitions were distributed and signed. However, the initial submission of the petitions was rejected, with many signatories being non-residents living outside the city limits, and some forms being improperly filled out. On the second attempt, the petitions were accepted, leading to an election that resulted in the passage of an ordinance banning abortion within the city limits, with a majority vote of 56% from over 23,000 cast ballots.

Bariou's main target for recall is Mayor Brenda Gunter, who has become the primary focus of his ire. Councilman Harry Thomas is considered the most vulnerable, requiring Bariou's group to gather just 47 signatures of voters from Single Member District 3 to force Thomas's recall.

Bariou's grievances stem from his interpretation of the City of San Angelo charter. Broadly, Bariou alleges that Mayor Gunter wields an excessive level of authority, effectively transforming the city government into a strong mayor form of governance, akin to that mandated in the City of Houston. San Angelo, however, operates under a city manager system with a comparatively weaker mayoral role. To fully appreciate Bariou's claims, one must delve into nuanced details. However, it's important to note that Bariou has yet to present substantial evidence supporting these allegations. Bariou accuses the city council and mayor of:

1. Violating the letter and spirit of the City Chartered Council-Manager form of Texas Home Rule City governance (City Charter, Sections 7., 11., 26., 28., and 28A.; and Ordinances Section 1.02.006).
2. Violating the letter and spirit of the Single Member District Representation of the Citizens by allowing and endorsing by default unauthorized mayoral latitude into the City Manager’s purview (City Charter, Sections 11., 26., 28., and 28A.; Ordinances: Section 1.02.006).
3. Violating the letter and spirit of The Code Of Conduct and Rules Of Procedure During City Council Meetings (Ordinances: 1.02.004 and 1.02.005).
4. Violating the letter and spirit of the General Policy Role (of the Council) by not publicly sharing ALL substantive information received from the public on matters under consideration prior to taking action (Ordinance: Section 1.02.006 (c)).
5. Violating the letter and spirit of the General Policy Role (of the Council) – Council Member and staff participation requirements and limits in various meetings (Ordinance: Section 1.02.006 (d) & (e)).
6. Violating the letter and spirit of the required and sworn-to Ethics Standards (Ordinance: Section 1.02.007).
7. Intentional Misconduct as defined under General Conduct (Ordinance: Section 1.02.008 (a)(1-5), (b), and (c)).
8. Intentional and malicious Harassment (Ordinance: Section 1.02.009 (a)).
9. Violations of the letter and spirit of Conflict of Interest prohibitions which also requires voting on the merit of every issue without the influence of personal gain or interest (Ordinance: Section 1.02.010 (a), (c), (e), (f), and (g)).
10. Dereliction of duty to Report, Investigate, and take Disciplinary Action(s) for Violations of the Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct (Ordinance: Section 1.02.015).
11. Conspiracy to Subvert the letter and spirit of Term Limits by scheming early resignation(s) with the intent to extend and retain eligibility for re-election beyond the Charter mandated Term Limits. (City Charter: Section 8.).
12. Willful and Habitual Violation of the letter and spirit of the Texas Open Meetings Act (Texas Government Code, Title 5. Open Government; Ethics, Subtitle A. Open Government, Chapter 551. Open Meetings).

It is presumed that Bariou is currently collecting signatures. To succeed, he must gather the requisite number of signatures from registered voters. For SMD council members, these must come from registered voters within the respective districts. Once collected, these signature sheets will be submitted to the city secretary for certification. If successful, the City will set a date for a recall election. Past special elections have incurred costs exceeding $30,000 for the City to administer.