Recall vote ousts Banning

Sixty percent of voters who returned ballots on the Troy Mayoral Recall Election of last Thursday have ousted Mayor Don Banning, 190 voting in favor of removal, 123 in retention.

The removal of Banning as a result of the mail-in balloting is immediate.

“As soon as I get the signed election results from the Commissioners, it’s final,” Banning said Monday. 

“I turned in my keys at City Hall on Friday, and told the folks at City Hall to watch their backs. Anything is liable to happen,” Banning said.

Banning, who was serving his first term as mayor, also served the city as Councilman.

With the removal of Banning, Council Chairman Phil Fisher will act as mayor until the City Council can approve and appoint another. Fisher, like Councilwoman Fran McCully who brought the recall petition, has been a staunch opponent of Banning.

The next election is November.

Banning’s tenure as mayor has been controversial almost from the beginning, and it has escalated  in recent months leading up to the recall petition.

Almost since Judge James B. Wheelis decided there was sufficient reason to seek the recall, the rift in the City Council grew with Joe Arts and Crystal Denton supporting the mayor and McCully and Fisher in opposition.

A message left at the McCully home Monday for comment about the recall was not returned.

Recently, city business has not been conducted as City Council meetings have not been held for lack of a quorum, mostly with McCully and Fisher opting not to attend the meetings.

City Council members now will solicit applications from those people who seek to become mayor, filling Banning’s seat, and in the fall, there will be an election for the mayor.

“I’m disappointed,” Banning said. “I really thought the numbers would be the other way. I’m done with it. If people want to talk to me about this, I’ll talk, but right now I just feel like I need to go out and cut my grass.”