Nashville Group Wants Recall Of Mayor

NASHVILLE, TN -- A Nashville man is spearheading an effort to recall embattled Metro Mayor Megan Barry.

Johann Porisch tells NewsChannel 5 he's set up a 501(c)4 group - what the IRS calls "social advocacy organizations," which do not have to disclose their donors - and launched the RecallMeganBarry.com web site.

Porisch's aim is to collect enough signatures to force a recall election for the mayor in the wake of her admitted affair with her now-former bodyguard and the fallout connected to spending and travel associated with same.

He tells the station he has collected 1,500 pledges to sign the petition since Feb. 13. The Metro Charter says a mayoral recall is triggered if a petition is submitted with 15 percent of Davidson County's registered voters, which means such an effort needs 60,000 signatures or so.

Porisch's plans to officially file the petition April 10, the day before early voting starts for the May primary elections, allowing volunteers to collect signatures at early voting sites. Once the petition is filed, the group will have 30 days to collect the requisite signatures.

“We see this mayor as being completely defiant against everything that the people's wishes are,” Porisch told Fox 17. “We want them to have a chance to vote on her ability to continue running our city.”

Porisch was among the organizers of the small rally ahead of a Metro Council pushing for Barry's resignation.

Photo via Office of the Mayor