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Johnstown votes to remove mayor, city council president

The city held a recall election Tuesday.

JOHNSTOWN, Ohio — Neighbors in Johnstown have voted to recall the city's mayor and city council president.

Voters decided to recall City Council President Marvin Block and Mayor Chip Dutcher with more than 70% of the vote.

Many people came out to vote on this issue. In the August 2 primary, a little over 400 ballots were cast. In this recall election, there were more than 900 ballots cast, which is about a 33% voter turnout.

The recall vote came after the community raised questions about leadership.

According to Ohio code, to get this vote to happen, a petition needed to be signed by at least 15% of the number of voters in the last election.

“Johnstown needs to think a little farther ahead, that's just my opinion. I just think some people get set in their ways,” said Jeff Ball, who voted for the recall.

This is all happening as Intel is set to make its way into the area. The site of Intel's project is just miles from the city.

“We just want to be prepared for what's going to be coming. Johnstown is a growing city, and we just need to make sure that we have the right people in place,” said Greg Russell, a neighbor.

The rest of the council must appoint replacements within the next 30 days. The city code said the office shall be vacant until their replacements are appointed.

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