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Claudia Demarest, Elaine Racine and Michael Tall recall, Ishpeming, Michigan (2012)
| Ishpeming City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Elaine Racine Michael Tall |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 8, 2012 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2012 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
A vote about whether to recall Claudia Demarest, Elaine Racine, and Michael Tall from their elected positions on the Ishpeming, Michigan, city council took place on May 8th, 2012.[1] All three officials were retained in office.[2] The recall effort was launched in January 2012.[3]
Reasons for recall
A group called the Citizens for Bjorne Justice Committee was behind the recall effort. Jim Bjorne is Ishpeming's former Chief of Police. He was fired in 2011 for insubordination. Demarest, Racine, and Tall all voted against the transfer of retirement benefits for Bjorne.[3]
Path to the ballot
Recall organizers needed to submit 487 signatures for each recall target. On January 23rd, recall organizers submitted over 560 signatures for each targeted council member. The county clerk had 35 days to review the signatures for accuracy.[4]
The recall signatures were certified in late February and subsequently challenged by the targeted officials.[5] However, enough signatures were found to be valid, and a recall election was scheduled for May 8th, 2012.[6] All three officials were retained in office.[2]
Election results
- Votes to recall Claudia Demarest: 442
- Votes to retain Claudia Demarest: 620
- Votes to recall Elaine Racine: 416
- Votes to retain Elaine Racine: 645
- Votes to recall Michael Tall: 413
- Votes to retain Michael Tall: 648
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ ABC 10 "Ishpeming City Council Recall Election," February 27, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Mining Journal, "Recall fails in Ishpeming," May 9, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 FOX UP "Push to recall city council members continues," January 12, 2012
- ↑ FOX UP "One step closer to recall in Ishpeming," January 24, 2012
- ↑ FOX UP "Council members challenge recall signatures," February 23, 2012
- ↑ FOX UP "Recall of local city council to move forward," February 25, 2012
