CLEVELAND — A group of community activists announced the end of their efforts to recall Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb on Monday afternoon.
The Accountable Cleveland Era's news release said the group is ending its effort after encountering "significant obstacles" that "hindered the success" of their initiative.
Their statement said the group gathered over 4,000 signatures from over 7,000 households, which is about half of what was needed to trigger a recall election.
The organizers said they plan to "continue engaging with residents, advocating for transparency, and requesting meetings with mayoral officials to address concerns and push for meaningful change."
News 5 Investigators were first to report the Accountable Cleveland Era planned to launch a mayoral recall effort in April.
RELATED: Community activists petition to recall Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb
They said Bibb should be held accountable for his "extravagant" spending on travel and his security detail, problematic hires, and a lack of transparency, among other issues.
"It's time for us to rise up. It's time to revolutionize the city, the way things are going in our government," said Juan Collado Diaz, a community activist, who led the recall effort.
News 5 reached out to Mayor Bibb's communications staff for a comment about Monday's developments, but we have yet to receive a response.
