Petitions submitted to recall Akron mayor

AKRON, (AP) — Akron’s law director says a group seeking to recall Mayor Don Plusquellic has submitted petitions in its effort to get the measure on the ballot.

Max Rothal says the petitions were submitted by the deadline Friday. He does not know how many people signed the petitions and says it will take several days to validate the signatures. At least 3,179 valid signatures are required to force a recall election.

The recall effort is led by Warner Mendenhall, a former councilman who has said the mayor has misdirected the city and put it into debt.

Plusquellic spokesman David Lieberth says the number of signatures collected represents a tiny fraction of Akron’s population. He says the mayor would wage a vigorous campaign to retain his seat and expects to complete his term.