Petitions filed for recall of Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

The City of Troy has provided a lot of blogging fodder during the past year, beginning with the struggle to save the city's library and continuing with posts about the municipality's revenue problems (which was the most popular post of 2011), the votes concerning its transit center, and its controversial Tea Party Mayor Janice Daniels. I concluded that last entry by predicting.

Congratulations, Mayor Daniels. You've shown how to become a textbook example of how to become the victim of your own political scandal not just once, but twice. You may not be resigning yet, but mark my words. The third time will be the charm.

Mayor Daniels isn't resigning, but it looks like she has worn out her welcome just the same, as Jeff Wattrick reports over at Deadline Detroit.

Organizers collect 9,300 signatures in effort to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

The Recall Janice Daniels campaign delivered 9300 petition signatures to the Oakland County Clerk today in an effort to allow Troy voters the opportunity to remove Mayor Daniels in the November election.
...
Since her election last November, Daniels has been a lightning rod of controversy. She refused to swear an oath to the city’s charter at her inauguration, calling it a “whimsical document.”

During one Council session she read a rambling statement ostensibly about the transit center that, among other things, accused Troy city employees of reading her mail.
...
Daniels made national news when it was revealed that in a Facebook post last summer, she criticized New York for allowing “queers” (her word) to get married. In response to that controversy, she told the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance that she would like to invite a panel of psychologists to explain to them about the dangers of “the homosexual lifestyle.”

Eric B. over at Michigan Liberal elaborated on this news.

For those playing along at home, the first paragraph [the second paragraph quoted here--P.S./N.V.] provides you all the acceptable reason you need to vote yes. Refusing to swear an oath to the city charter because you believe it to be a "whimsical" document is the same thing as a Congressman refusing to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Again, in a constitutional democracy, consent from the governed is given to government by a vote of the people in support of -- at the city level -- the city charter. Refusing to swear to uphold it is the same thing as saying that you don't really need to consent of the governed to rule them like a king. In a totalitarian state, you can get away with it. In America, however, it's a pretty basic violation on the social contract; and if you aren't aware of that, you're just simply not fit to serve in any office at any level. And that, sunshines, is precisely what they made recalls for.

To that, you can certainly pile on that she's made the city a national laughingstock and made it more unfriendly to business development, which seems to violate the spirit in which suburban communities like to see themselves.

Looks like the question of Daniels' recall will be on this November's ballot. How many quatloos do any of you want to wager on her getting voted out? Of course, I'm taking the side of her leaving. After all, I remarked that she might be trouble when she was elected, so I might be biased.

Daniels won the mayor's race in Troy. That's a vote for austerity, as she's a founder of the Troy Tea Party.

I'll take sustainability over austerity any day. I hope the voters of Troy do, too. Here's to their making a jump and recalling Daniels.