Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens and two council members are being threatened with a recall election after the three supported removing council member Gerald Dixon last year, after Dixon was arrested and accused of sexually abusing minors.
Facebook posts in a group called "Whitehall 411 - Eye on Government" indicate that people are finalizing petitions to recall Bivens and council members Lori Elmore and Amy Harcar. This follows Dixon's arrest last year by Whitehall police for allegedly soliciting prostitution and sexually abusing minors.
None of the organizers spoke at the council meeting on Tuesday. WOSU attempted to contact the person who made the Facebook post, but did not receive a response.
In the same Facebook group, people published posts perpetuating unsubstantiated claims against Somali-Americans fraudulently using public funds for daycares in Columbus. Others posted media coverage of Whitehall's dispute with the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, which included Dixon's support of the FOP.
Bivens defended his record as mayor at Tuesday's council meeting after acknowledging he is aware a petition is circulating. He asked that the organizers halt efforts to remove Harcar and Elmore and instead focus on him.
"(Elmore and Harcar) have compassion. They have integrity. They are honored. And to the extent that they have been roped into any anger towards me as mayor, let me ask publicly to the circulators of the petition, remove them from it," Bivens said. " Put the petition on me, let it circulate, and let's see how it goes. I'm not afraid of it."
Some people in the audience loudly said "no" to Bivens' request.
The criminal charges against Dixon were dismissed by a judge last year in Franklin County Municipal Court, but Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen said he intends to put the matter before a grand jury to secure an indictment in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Before addressing the recall, Bivens said the criminal charges against Dixon are "not over." He was interrupted by council president Thomas Potter, who stated the charges have been dropped.
"I appreciate your tongue, President Potter. And I appreciate taking up and taking a stand. I love the fact that you are standing on business tonight and I love your courage and speaking out and stopping me during my comments," Bivens responded.
To initiate a recall election, organizers have to gather enough valid signatures from eligible Whitehall voters. City Attorney Brad Nicodemus told WOSU that equals 15% of the votes cast in the last election, the seat was on the ballot.
Bivens ran unopposed and was reelected in 2023 with 2,827 people voting for him. Another 1,086 people from Whitehall voted in the election, but left their vote for mayor blank. This is known as an undervote.
That is according to data from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Under these rules, petition gatherers will have to get about 586 valid signatures of eligible Whitehall voters to force a recall election. Nicodemus said those signatures will either be validated by the city clerk or the county board of elections.
A recall election can't be submitted for Dixon under the city charter until he has served six months of his term. His term started this month.
Dixon spoke at length about the accusations against him Tuesday evening, despite what he called legal advice from his attorneys that "less is best."
'While there is much I wish to say, for now, fighting against my nature, and all that remains perched on the tip of my tongue. I have decided, for reasons' sake, to continue the path of restraint on this matter," Dixon said.
Dixon thanked people who have spoken up in the community, saying they believe "people are innocent until proven guilty."
Dixon said at his request the council will discuss "Roberts Rules of Order" which govern decorum and speech at council meetings. These policies are regularly used around the country.
Dixon said he is bringing this up because after he left the Dec. 16 meeting, the day he was arrested. Dixon said some "pretty heinous things" were said about him.
"My interest and hopes and, quite frankly, demands that this council in the coming year stick to the actual Robert's Rules of Order and Rules of Procedure, because in the four years that I've been here, there's been some pretty awful moments," Dixon said.
Dixon tried to invoke these rules when council member Devin Brown named Dixon in his remarks. Dixon complained that the rules state council members can't name another council member in their remarks.
Harcar and Elmore also spoke at the meeting.
Harcar said a recall petition being used against a council member that a community member simply disagrees with "discourages honest governance and undermines the ability of elected officials to carry out a responsibility effectively."
Harcar said she believes people disagree with her support of policies that help the LGBTQ community, immigrants and survivors of violence and exploitation.
"Accountability is being applied inconsistently, scrutinized heavily when it involves who I help, regardless of how many times I have addressed this issue, but deferred when it involved potential harm caused by others," Harcar said.
Harcar was the original sponsor of the legislation to remove Dixon. That failed last year, with only council member Larry Morrison voting against it. The council needed a unanimous vote.
Harcar said she didn't reintroduce the legislation Tuesday evening because she didn't think it would pass. Morrison remains on council while two members who supported Harcar's efforts left office.
Two new council members, Mike Adkins and Brian McCann, started on Whitehall City Council on Tuesday evening.
Neither made comments on Dixon's arrest or the recall petition.
Elmore didn't address the petition at the meeting, but pushed back on what Dixon said about procedural council rules. She said the council doesn't follow Robert's Rules to the letter, but that all council members should respect one another.
"It is my hope that 2026 will bring a year of cohesiveness and unification. A lot of great work is still to be done in the city of Whitehall. And doing the best for the city, minus the drama of social media, would help a whole lot," Elmore said.
Dixon told reporters after the meeting he hasn't seen the petition to remove Bivens, Harcar and Elmore. He said he won't sign it himself.
When asked if he supports Bivens, he said "the mayor and I are at loggerheads" or "butting heads all of the time."
