Nick Knoth recall effort still in works. Columbia Ward 1 residents say they're organizing

A group of Ward 1 residents will have a better idea on the number of signatures they have for a recall petition for council member Nick Knoth by the end of the week.

The reason residents are seeking a recall of Knoth is due to his recent career move to the Missouri Board of Realtors as its central area director of government affairs and regional advocacy. They see this lobbyist position as in conflict with his role on the council.

Recall efforts started two weeks ago.

Ward 1 residents supportive of recall will solidify an organizational plan toward the end of the week, wrote Sarah Medcalf, a Ward 1 resident leading recall efforts, in an email to the Tribune.

The Missouri Board of Realtors, she wrote, "has an explicit financial interest in selling houses, land. ... They have vested interest in how all land may be used. Half of Columbia’s City Council’s stated objective is making decisions about land use.

"This Venn diagram is a circle. To pretend that it is not is insulting to his constituents."

At least 336 signatures are needed for submission to the Columbia City Council, triggering the council to call a recall election. Knoth is just outside the six-month window from when he was elected in April. The city charter limits recall efforts within the first six months after election or if there are six months left in a council member's term.

Ever since Knoth took the new job in late September, residents within and without Ward 1 have called on Knoth to either recuse himself from votes, such as on ARPA allocation awards, or to resign from the council altogether at opportunities for public comment during council meetings.

If a recall election is triggered, it possibly could occur in March or April, per the statewide election calendar. The March date is available to charter cities like Columbia, and April will see the municipal general election, which is when elections for Ward 2 and Ward 6 seats also will be held.

Factors related to petition signature efforts determine when a recall election is called, wrote Columbia City Clerk Sheela Amin in an email to the Tribune.

"Since I do not know when the petition will be submitted or deemed sufficient, I do not know which election date would apply," she wrote. "Revised Statutes of Missouri would need to be reviewed as well to determine what elections might be applicable for this type of election."

The city charter notes that recall elections occur "at the next election provided for by state law which is consistent with applicable notice provisions and available for municipal elections purposes."

Knoth's stance on the issue remains relatively unchanged, he said in a phone interview Wednesday, to what he already has written online and in statements to other media.

"On one side, I am advocating at the state level for the interest of Missouri Realtors. On the other side, I am assigned the central region to handle that regional advocacy portion. Despite what some are choosing to believe about it, it is an internal facing role, in which I work with local boards I am assigned to, to help them access resources, other opportunities within the greater Realtor system," Knoth said, adding he soon plans, without giving a specific date, to file his lobbyist paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

"I remain available and accessible to anyone who calls the First Ward home and would like to engage me on the subject. The recall effort has nothing to do with any vote I have taken or done or not done in my capacity as a councilperson. It is entirely based on what I do in my personal life to support my family."

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Nick Knoth recall efforts still being organized after two weeks