GREENE COUNTY
The effort by a Greene County resident and her chairperson to recall Greensboro’s mayor and three council members has been quashed, due to not meeting criteria required by the elections office.
Union Point resident Amelia Riley was hoping to engage community supporters in recalling Mayor Corey Williams and city council members Cynthia Rivers, Morris Miller, and Chris More.
That followed the armed robbery conviction of her son, Hakeem Jeremiah Neal, earlier this summer.
Riley formed a grassroots effort in support of her cause and included representation from the NAACP and Black Votes Matter. Her chairperson, Cierra Porter, of Greensboro, was tasked with collecting signatures for the recall, and the group met weekly to drum up support.
Riley has alleged both police mishandling of her son’s armed robbery case and too many familial connections among city officials, including its governance and police department. It is an allegation Greensboro Police Chief Rodricus Monford denies.
According to Kathleen Mayers, elections supervisor for Greene County, the effort has been stymied due to the first of a two-part process, the recall petition not meeting specific criteria needed to bring a recall forward.
“Any recall effort involves a two-part process, the petition, and the application,” Mayers said. “Specific steps and criteria must be met to bring an action forward.”
The application did not meet the necessary number of signatures and corresponding addresses, which the elections office uses to verify the accuracy and status of voter registration. Additionally, three of four recall applications were lacking mandatory notarization and missed the delivery deadline of July 21.
“The application for the recall has been deemed insufficient and are invalid,” Mayers said. “There will be no further action of the Greene County Board of Elections. No recall petition will be issued due to the insufficiency of the recall applications as submitted.”
Both Riley and Porter were not available to address the next steps, but it is believed by members of the community that they will submit another petition and continue their community meetings for a renewed effort at a recall.