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Jed Welder recall, Sidney Township, Michigan (2021-2022)
| Sidney Township trustee recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 3, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
Voters elected Erik Benko and recalled Trustee Jed Welder in a special election held on May 3, 2022, in Sidney Township, Michigan.[1]
The Democratic Party declined to nominate a candidate to run against Welder, a Republican, in the special recall election. The filing deadline for candidates to run without a party affiliation passed on February 28, 2022.[2][3][4]
The Montcalm County Election Commission approved a recall petition for circulation on November 12, 2021, after rejecting two previous versions of the petition.[5][6][7]
Recall vote
General election
Special general election for Sidney Township Board of Trustees At-large
Erik Benko defeated incumbent Jed Welder and Scott Giddings (Unofficially withdrew) in the special general election for Sidney Township Board of Trustees At-large on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Erik Benko (Independent) | 63.6 | 389 | |
| Jed Welder (R) | 32.0 | 196 | ||
| Scott Giddings (Independent) (Unofficially withdrew) | 4.4 | 27 | ||
| Total votes: 612 | |||
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Recall supporters
Approved petition language
The election commission approved the following petition language: "On July 5th, 2021, Sidney Township Trustee Jed Welder voted nay on the Sidney Township Wind Energy Ordinance, no. 2021-01."[8]
Rejected petition language
Resident Jeffrey Lodholtz filed a recall petition on September 27, 2021. The text of that initial recall petition appears below.[2]
Recall opponents
Welder offered the following comment on the recall campaign to Daily News.[4]
| “ |
I’ve lived here all my life. As a landowner and parent, I want to keep Sidney a great place to raise a family. I have the experience as a veteran and a small business owner to be an effective board member. I work hard every day on our farm and I work just as hard at the township to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. ... These endless recalls by an anti-wind group that is being advised by lawyers and groups from out of state are troubling. There are currently nine county and township elected officials being targeted by these groups. In our community we should welcome differences of opinion, but being recalled over a vote does not promote freedom of speech or good governance. I can’t say it any better than Judge Simon did: I don’t know how this works.[9] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
The Montcalm County Election Commission approved a recall petition for circulation on November 12, 2021, after rejecting two previous versions of the petition.[5]
According to the election commission, organizers needed to collect 274 signatures from Sidney Township voters for a recall election to be scheduled. Signatures remained valid for 60 days.[5] Lodholtz submitted 370 signatures on January 20, 2022.[10]
After 306 signatures were certified as valid, the recall election was scheduled for May 3, 2022.[3]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily News, "Benko elected, Welder recalled from Sidney Township Board," May 4, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 County of Montcalm, Michigan, "Recall Petition - against Sidney Township Trustee Jed Welder," accessed October 22, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 County of Montcalm, Michigan, "Sidney Township Recall Election - Jed Weder Sidney Township Trustee," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Daily News, "3 candidates running in Sidney Township recall; Winfield Township recall efforts pending," arch 3, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 County of Montcalm, Michigan, "Recall Petition - against Sidney Township Trustee Jed Welder," accessed November 19, 2021
- ↑ Daily News, "Wording for Sidney Twp. trustee recall attempt denied," October 9, 2021
- ↑ Daily News, "Language approved in recall attempt against Sidney Township trustee," November 13, 2021
- ↑ Facebook, Recall Sidney Township Trustee Jed Welder," November 12, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Daily News, "Recall petitions filed against Maple Valley supervisor," January 24, 2022
