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Diana Parrigin recall, Covert Public Schools, Michigan (2016)
| Covert Public Schools Board of Education recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 3, 2016 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Diana Parrigin from her position on the Covert Public Schools Board of Education in Michigan was on the ballot on May 3, 2016. Nearly 80 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of recalling Parrigin, ousting her from the board and electing Valerie Bury, the leader of the recall effort, in her place.[1]
The recall effort was started in reaction to Parrigin pleading no contest to a 2015 charge of marijuana possession as well as her refusal to leave her post as president of the board or to resign from the body altogether.[2][3] In October 2015, Bury, a former board member for Covert Public Schools, filed paperwork to launch the recall effort against Parrigin with the Van Buren County elections commission. Two previous recall petitions were rejected due to unclear wording, but Bury's third attempt was approved in November 2015.[4][5]
Recall vote
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Valerie Bury |
79.6% | 195 | |
| Nonpartisan | Diana Parrigin Incumbent | 20.4% | 50 | |
| Total Votes | 245 | |||
| Source: Van Buren County, "Covert Public Schools Recall Board Member," accessed May 20, 2016 | ||||
Recall supporters
At a board meeting on May 6, 2015, a crowd of district alumni wearing yellow "say no to drugs" T-shirts gathered to demand Parrigin's resignation in response to her conviction of a misdemeanor drug crime. Parrigin, who became board president in January 2015, had to be escorted out of the building by police due to the intensity of the crowd. Board member Michael Dambrowski moved to demote Parrigin from her position as board president, but the motion failed with a vote of 4-2. Board member Beverly Smith voted with Dambrowski. Because the motion failed, Parrigin was able to finish her term as board president.[2][4][6][7]
The recall paperwork filed by Bury detailed Parrigin's arrest for marijuana possession, her plea of no-contest following that arrest, and her refusal to step down as board president.[4]
Recall opponents
Board members Dana Getman, Maxine Jeffries, Cheryl McCray, and Maria Gallegos voted down the motion to demote Parrigin from her position as board president in May 2015. Parrigin abstained from the vote.[6]
On January 11, 2016, the board voted Parrigin board president for another term. The vote was 6-1 for the appointment, with member Michael Dambrowski casting the dissenting vote.[8]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
Parrigin had until November 12, 2015, to appeal the Van Buren County elections commission's decision to approve the recall petition. If she had appealed, it would have been handled by the Van Buren Circuit Court. Because she did not appeal the petition, recall supporters had until December 31, 2015, to collect 140 signatures. They submitted 171 signatures to the county elections commission on December 30, 2015, and 168 of them were approved, allowing the recall to be on the ballot on May 3, 2016.[4][5][9][10][11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Diana Parrigin' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Covert Public Schools, Michigan
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WOODTV.com, "Election Results," accessed May 3, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Herald-Palladium, "School board stands by Parrigin," May 13, 2015
- ↑ The Herald-Palladium, "Third hearing Monday on effort to recall Covert school board leader," October 30, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Herald-Palladium, "Third time works for recall language," November 7, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Herald-Palladium, "Recall effort organizer is persistent," October 24, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wood TV, "Angry alumni demand school board president resign," May 11, 2015
- ↑ Covert Public Schools, "Board of Education Officers," accessed January 8, 2016
- ↑ Covert Public Schools, "Minutes from Monday, 01/11/2016 Covert Public Schools Regular Board Meeting," accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Palladium, "Recall effort advances," November 14, 2015
- ↑ The Herald-Palladium, "Parrigin recall organizers say they have the signatures," January 1, 2016
- ↑ The Herald-Palladium, "May recall election of school board president likely," January 9, 2015
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