By Travis Mounts

Ohio Township trustee Cristine Watson will face a recall election on Aug. 3. It is the latest chapter in the township’s recent turmoil that includes a failed vote to disband the township entirely.

To force a recall election, a committee of people must file a petition with the election office with an allegation that falls under one of three categories: misconduct in office, conviction of a felony, or failure to perform duties as described by law. Once the district attorney’s office approves the petition as being valid, the committee must then get signatures from registered voters. The number of signatures required must be at least 40 percent of the total number of voters that cast ballots for the office in question.

Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale said the committee is alleging that on June 29, 2009, Watson moved township funds into an account that only she had access to, thus denying the treasurer the ability to pay bills. The committee members that filed the recall petition are Ronnie Canfield, Glenn Ciesenis and Jacquelyne Donna Tibbits.

Recall elections are rare.

“I want to say this is the first one since I’ve been here, so it’s not very common,” said Gale, who has been the election commissioner for seven years. He said he has seen several unsuccessful recall efforts, including two unsuccessful efforts in the past year or so to remove Watson.

A few Ohio Township residents will actually be voting on two recall efforts. The director of the Peck Improvement District is also facing a recall election. Most of the improvement district lies in Sumner County, where the recall petition was filed, but a small portion of the district is in Sedgwick County in the Ohio Township.

The township is governed by a three-member board consisting of the trustee, the clerk and the treasurer.

Watson was elected as township clerk in 2006, then won election as trustee in 2008. Jim Simon was unopposed in 2008 and won re-election as treasurer. Connie True was appointed by Sedgwick County Commissioner Tim Norton to fill the clerk’s position after Watson took over as trustee.

The township has a recent history of problems. In 2008, the future of the entire township was on the ballot as voters were asked if they wanted to abolish the township and turn over township duties to Sedgwick County.

Simon and outgoing trustee Bob Hay pushed for the vote in 2008.

The measure to abolish the township was defeated 400 to 215.

On Tuesday, voters will be asked, ‘Shall Cristine L. Watson be recalled from the office of trustee of Ohio Township?” A “yes” vote will be a vote to remove Watson; a “no” is a vote to retain her as trustee.

Ohio Township covers 36 square miles just east of Clearwater, spanning from 119th Street West to Meridian, and from 71st Street South to 119th Street South at the Sumner County line. It does not include any of Clearwater but does cover the southwest edge of Haysville.