KAGOSHIMA (Kyodo) Aug. 17, 2010 Japan Times:
A citizens' group in Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, filed a petition Monday for a permit to initiate a signature campaign to recall Mayor Shinichi Takehara, whom they term "too self-righteous." In the petition filed with the local election management board, the group said the town's residents had pinned hopes on Takehara's reform drives. But the mayor has drawn flak for various actions, including halving bonuses for municipal employees without consulting the assembly and barring media organizations from monitoring assembly proceedings.
The group intends to begin collecting signatures as early as Tuesday, according to its leader, Shinichi Kawahara, who said he is confident Takehara will be recalled. The mayor can be forced out if one-third of some 6,700 eligible voters sign and a majority votes in favor of his ouster in a referendum. "Mayor Takehara is not qualified as a leader. I've gotten a great response (from voters) and expect the recall will be successful," Kawahara said. Deputy Mayor Toshiro Semba said the mayor welcomes the move by the citizens' group.
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Nagoya mayor petitions to recall city assembly
Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura will begin collecting signatures Aug. 27 in a bold move to recall the municipal assembly. The mayor's support group filed a petition Tuesday with the city's election management committee to begin the recall process. Kawamura, who won in a landslide in the mayoral race in April 2009 with a record 510,000 votes, pledged during the campaign to cut the municipal tax by 10 percent and halve the assembly. The mayor said some assembly members who owe their seats to their families' political connections are preventing him from fulfilling his promises, but he faces fierce opposition from those who accuse him of behaving like a tyrant. (more)
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