WHITEHALL, Ohio — Residents seeking to remove City Councilmember Gerald Dixon from office say their recall petition is still active, even after the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office declined to present a criminal case against him to a grand jury. Organizers launched the petition in July, citing allegations of child sexual misconduct made against Dixon. He has denied wrongdoing. The charges were dismissed within weeks of his arrest, and the prosecutor’s office said last month it would not pursue the case before a grand jury. The prosecutor’s office has said an arrest requires a reasonable belief that a crime occurred, while a conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Those different standards mean an arrest does not necessarily lead to prosecution, the office said. Recall organizers have not shared how many signatures they have gathered. Under Whitehall’s charter, the petition must be filed by a Ward 1 resident and receive 203 valid signatures from Ward 1 voters. If election officials verify enough signatures, voters would decide whether Dixon keeps his seat. Dixon, 65, was sworn in for a second term in December. He declined to comment on the recall effort. He has previously said he respects residents’ right to seek a recall but characterized the effort and the criminal allegations as an attempt to marginalize and silence him. Whitehall City Council has twice considered whether to remove Dixon, but neither vote was unanimous. The city held a special recall election this year involving two other councilmembers and Mayor Michael Bivens; all three kept their seats, with some results close. The Dixon campaign’s progress could determine whether Ward 1 voters face another recall election. The organizers’ latest public statement was that the petition remains active, without providing a signature count or timeline for filing.