Political PAC Calls For City Council Member's Removal

AUSTIN, TX -- A petition demanding the recall of an Austin City Council member has been filed with the city clerk’s office, a municipal public information has confirmed.

The action against councilwoman Ann Kitchen was filed by a political action committee that calls itself Austin4All. It stems from Kitchen’s criticism of the city’s two main ride-sharing services, chiefly their executives’ resistance to having their drivers fingerprinted as part of their security clearance procedures in vetting its drivers.

Proponents of the two ride-sharing companies, Uber and Lyft, previously descended en masse at a recent city council meeting to protest the need to have employees fingerprinted -- this despite a city ordinance that calls for any company that transports people (pedicabs included) follow that protocol.

Kitchen has arguably been the most vocal proponent of fingerprint checks, an issue that arose after a handful of reports of female passengers’ being accosted by drivers. In spite of wide community support for the convenience and popularity of the ride-sharing firms, Kitchen has been steadfast in her calls for greater security measures.

Ride-sharing executives, drivers and company proponents have posited the fingerprinting step as onerous, draconian and unnecessary given existing safety measures. One such safeguard is centered on real-time routing information passengers can engage on their cell phones as they ride, a feature that can be shared with loved ones.

By virtue of those existing safeguards, Kitchen has drawn the ire of ride-sharing fans and their representatives. As for the fingerprinting issue itself, an impasse with the city prompted those same proponents to gather enough signatures to put the issue in a referendum for voters to decide.

The recall effort states that Kitchen “...has purposefully hurt businesses that employ citizens of Austin,” KVUE-TV reports.

Other members of council have risen to her defense, citing existing city statutes as the basis of her insistence on robust security protocols for which she’s called.

In the past, Kitchen’s fellow council members have been quick to react to recall efforts targeting Kitchen. KVUE recorded some of that defense, which can be viewed here.

>>> Photo of Ann Kitchen courtesy of City of Austin