Latest news with #specialElection
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
James Taylor, from jail, resigns ahead of Fort Pierce City Commission meeting about him
FORT PIERCE — Facing 24 felony charges related to an alleged explicit internet relationship with a teenage girl — and under pressure to step down from office before a special City Commission meeting — City Commissioner James Taylor submitted his resignation on July 28, just hours before that meeting convened. The resignation is effective Aug. 2, according to a copy obtained by TCPalm. Taylor remained in the St. Lucie County Jail as of the afternoon of July 28 in lieu of $360,000 bail, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. City, state and federal officials had been calling on Taylor to resign since shortly after his arrest during a July 24 traffic stop. Had he not done so, many were putting pressure on Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend him before the July 28 meeting began, at 5:05 p.m. Either action — resignation or suspension by DeSantis — would have allowed city commissioners to use that hastily scheduled meeting to begin planning for a special election to replace Taylor. "The citizens of the city of Fort Pierce own that commission seat, and they need to get it back," City Commissioner Michael Broderick said in a July 25 phone call. Broderick was joined by state Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce, among others, in calling for the seat to be vacated — one way or another — before the special meeting began. Taylor is accused of conducting a years-long relationship with a 14-year-old girl from Evanston, Illinois, over the private messaging app Snapchat. That relationship, which local sheriff's investigators believe began when the girl was 12, included Taylor sending and asking for nude images, according to investigators. Police in Evanston were first tipped off to the alleged relationship by the girl's mother in August 2024, while Taylor was in the midst of his campaign for City Commission. Taylor — who won that race with nearly 62% of the vote — was first on St. Lucie County investigators' radar in May, when they were contacted by the Evanston Police Department. More: What to know about City Commissioner James Taylor, his arrest, Fort Pierce city reaction More: Fort Pierce sets special meeting on James Taylor; special election may be in the works Taylor faces six counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors by electronic equipment; six counts of transfer or display of obscenity to a minor; six counts of harmful communication to a minor and lewd computer solicitation; four counts of lewd computer solicitation of a child; and two counts of solicitation of transmission of child pornography by electronic device or equipment. His arraignment — when he would enter a plea on those charges — is not yet scheduled. Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: James Taylor resigns rather than be removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
CBS News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Balance of power on the line in Minnesota Senate with planned resignation of Nicole Mitchell
A guilty verdict for one state senator and the sudden death of another could reshape who's in charge in the Minnesota Senate. On Monday, 75-year-old GOP Sen. Bruce Anderson died unexpectedly on the same day DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell announced, through her attorney, that she would resign from office following a burglary conviction last week. Democrats only have a one-seat majority in the chamber right now and losing Mitchell means that power is on the line. Special elections for those seats — the dates for which have not been set — come as there is another contest planned for September for the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman's House district, after she was killed last month in a politically motivated attack. Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Monday, before the news broke about Anderson's death, that the goal is to have special elections wrapped up before the next legislative session. "The goal would be to do that as timely as possible, give people time to get a campaign together, run, and then have all of that done by February when we come back into session," Walz said. Anderson's Wright County district leans heavily Republican. Mitchell won her race handily in 2022, defeating a Republican challenger by more than 17 percentage points. Her district covers Woodbury and parts of Maplewood. But special elections have lower turnout than general elections. Amy Koch, the former GOP Senate majority leader who herself won a special election, said Mitchell's race in particular will likely have outsized importance — and draw a lot of campaign spending — because of both the reason she resigned and how she represents the key vote for Democrats in the closely divided Senate. "The spotlight that will be on Woodbury and how important Sen. Mitchell [is] and what she did is going to play into this election," Koch said. "All bets are off in a special. Unusual people can win specials. There can be upsets as a result of just sort of the nature of — it's fast, it's furious, and it's low turnout." With Anderson's passing and Mitchell's resignation, the chamber will be at least temporarily at 33-32 in favor of Democrats. Most bills need 34 votes to pass. Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy said in a statement following Mitchell's announcement that she would resign that "with the clarity brought by the resolution of this case, the Senate DFL Caucus will continue to focus on issues that improve the lives of Minnesota families and communities." Two House Democrats — Rep. Ethan Cha and Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger — whose districts are part of Mitchell's Senate district, announced that they intend to run for her seat. If they prevail, there would be yet another special election for their House district. All told, there will be at least six special elections this year alone. There were three others during the legislative session, including for the districts of the late DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic, who died of cancer, and former GOP Senator Justin Eichorn. He was arrested and criminally charged for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Augusta commission looks to fill empty seat Tuesday
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Alvin Mason said goodbye to the Augusta commission five weeks ago, and now there's a call for city leaders to do their job and fill the seat.'We got a lot of things on the table that the community is depending on us to make decisions on and having such a gap like that in District Four, we owe it to everyone involved to get the process moving,' said Commissioner Don get the commission back to full strength, six commissioners need to approve a nominee .'We're going to go in tomorrow to the meeting and listen to the nominations. We might take action tomorrow and we might not,' said Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne the commission appoints to replace Mason will see a lot of election action if they want to remain in the seat, because there will be a special election this year and the seat is up again next year.'So whoever is appointed, we would have to have a special election in November, so they would have to run for that, and then they would have to turn around and run again in May,' said Election Director Travis Doss.'Whoever decides to run will be pressed with you have to run in November, you'll have to run in May, so it's going to be not an easy challenge for somebody,' said times, commissioners can't come to an agreement, but city leaders believe there will be a decision at Tuesday's meeting.'I'm optimistic about that. I'm optimistic that all realize that with everything we have on the table, that we got to get this filled,' said Clark. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Minnesota Lawmaker Convicted of Burglary Plans to Resign, Ending Democratic Majority
A Minnesota state senator who was convicted of burglary said on Monday that she would resign from the Legislature by Aug. 4. Her departure would leave the chamber with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans until a special election can be held to fill her seat and break the tie. By stepping down, Senator Nicole Mitchell, a Democrat, is likely to avoid the possibility of being removed from office. The decision also gives her party a chance to replace her and regain a majority if they win a special election. Ms. Mitchell carried her district in the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul by a nearly 18-point margin in 2022. Ms. Mitchell was arrested in April 2024 and accused of breaking into her stepmother's home. She maintained her innocence after her arrest, and for more than a year resisted calls by Republicans for her to resign or be expelled. Even so, she was limited to working on the periphery of the Legislature. Though her fellow Democrats continued to rely on her vote as she awaited trial, Ms. Mitchell no longer participated in caucus meetings and did not have committee assignments this year. After a jury in Becker County convicted Ms. Mitchell on Friday of two felony charges, legislative leaders from both parties said they expected her to resign. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, is expected to call a special election in the district, which is considered solidly Democratic. Ms. Mitchell faces up to 20 years in prison on the more serious charge on which she was convicted. She has been allowed to remain free ahead of her sentencing. Ms. Mitchell announced her resignation on Monday in a statement distributed by one of her lawyers, Dane DeKrey. The statement said she planned to work on finishing up legislative projects, helping staff members find new employment and arranging new health insurance for a family member before resigning on or before Aug. 4. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Despite scandal and a looming corruption trial, Trayon White wins vote to return to the DC Council
A former D.C. Council member is returning to his seat, five months after he was kicked out for his involvement in a federal bribery investigation. Trayon White defeated three challengers in a special election Tuesday to fill the Ward 8 council seat that has been vacant since his expulsion in February. White, 41, was arrested by the FBI last August. After an internal investigation, the remaining 12 D.C. Council members voted unanimously to oust him from the council. However, White was free to enter the special election because he had not been convicted on a felony. He won reelection just a few months later in an indication of a scandal-proof popularity that echoes his political mentor: former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. His federal trial won't start until January 2026, but preliminary evidence includes videos of White pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor, allegedly in return for securing lucrative city contracts. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. WASHINGTON (AP) — Tuesday's special election for the Ward 8 seat on the D.C. Council will determine whether the council will turn the page on an awkward and embarrassing chapter or remain locked in an uncomfortable dynamic with a political figure whose popularity has rendered him almost impervious to scandal. Trayon White, the former Ward 8 representative, is fighting to return to the same legislative body that expelled him five months ago — and may just expel him again if he wins. White, 41, was arrested by the FBI last August on bribery charges. He won re-election to a third term just a few months later—an indication of a street-level popularity that echoes his political mentor: iconic former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. After an internal investigation, the remaining 12 D.C. Council members voted unanimously to oust White from the council in February. However, White was free to enter the special election because he has not been convicted of a felony. His federal trial won't start until 2026; preliminary evidence includes videos of White pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor, allegedly in return for securing lucrative city contracts. White faces a trio of challengers: Mike Austin, Sheila Bunn and Salim Adofo. All three boast experience either working as staffers for D.C. Council members or in the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions — hyper-local bodies that frequently serve as training grounds for future council members. Adofo lost to White in the 2024 Democratic primary, securing 28% of the vote. All three challengers have pointed to White's legal troubles and emphasized a need to restore credibility and public trust to the Ward 8 council seat. White has done minimal public campaigning or fundraising, skipped multiple candidate debates and left early from a debate. White came up in local politics as a protege of Barry. And he has been channeling his mentor's defiant, populist playbook since his arrest. White refused to cooperate with the internal D.C. Council inquiry. His lawyer, Frederick D. Cooke Jr., also served as Barry's defense attorney. And White has sought to stoke lingering suspicion of the FBI among Black Washingtonians, many of whom believe Barry was unfairly targeted by the 1990 FBI sting that caught him on camera smoking crack cocaine. A White victory would place the D.C. Council in an immediate quandary. They could expel White again, despite the will of the Ward 8 voters, or they could simply carry on with him among their ranks again and wait for the federal corruption trial to begin early next year.
