City Council received a petition signed by numerous Cinniapolis business leaders calling for a special Mayoral election to be held in January 2023, nearly two years before the scheduled November 2024 election. Sources indicate rising crime rates and the general ineptitude of the current administration lies at the feet of Mayor Gondola. Local businesses said they’ve suffered significant financial losses due to the forced pandemic restrictions coupled with emboldened criminal activity after the police force was replaced with the Cinniapolis Safety Department. These same sources also confirmed the recent failure to simply clean the streets and sidewalks efficiently during the October snowstorm was the last straw.

While few leaders were willing to go on the record, a familiar voice led the charge to get the petition signed. Chess Murphy organized a meeting last week presenting the cumulative failure of the current administration. “Today is a great day. Cinniapolis is beginning to move forward into the light, away from the cloak of darkness under Mayor Gondola’s tenure. We believe the overwhelming support from local businesses will result in an election much sooner than 2024,” said Mr. Murphy.

CCIT obtained a copy of the petition. In summary, businesses pledged to pack up and leave town if the Mayoral election is not moved up to January 2023. There was no demand to remove Mayor Gondola from office, the group simply wants to hold the election sooner. They claim that the city cannot survive another year under the current administration. We reached out to area business leaders but none were willing to provide a comment.

City Manager Justine Wellington confirmed City Council will review and vote on the petition before their annual holiday recess starting December 17th through January 8th. “We’ll vote on this measure before we break for the holidays. The public will know the election details by the (December) 17th,” said Ms. Wellington.

Below are the notable names that signed the petition:

Chess Murphy – Chairman: Murphy Construction, Murphy Waste Management
Ivan Amerovich – Chairman/CEO: Amerovich Organization
Zaza Amerovich – President: Amerovich Organization
Debut Saturday – Owner: Saturday Gardens
Gregory Dragg – Owner: Dragg Meat and Dairy
Waldo Penney – Owner: Penney’s Fish Market
Arn Murphy – CEO: Murphy Waste Management
Priscilla Murphy – CMO: Murphy Waste Management
Martha Granderson – Owner: Martha’s EyeCare
Isaac Irvin – Chairman: Irvin Capital