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Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners recall, Michigan (2021-2022)
| Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Cindy Garber (R) John Plowman (R) |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall three of the seven members of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners in Michigan did not go to a vote. Petitions against District 6 representative Cindy Garber (R) and District 7 representative John Plowman (R) were not submitted by the filing deadline on January 28, 2022.[1][2] The recall effort against District 5 representative Jeremy Root (R) ended with his resignation in January 2022.[3]
The recall effort started after the board voted on July 15, 2021, to give themselves hazard pay from federal COVID-19 relief funds along with other county workers. The hazard pay for the commissioners ranged from $5,000 to $25,000. The county Democratic and Republican parties both condemned the board's vote.[4][5] Circuit Court Judge Mark Latchana ordered a freeze of the hazard pay on July 26, 2021. The board later voted to reverse the vote and returned the funds.[6][7]
The recall petitions were approved for circulation in September 2021, but Root, Garber, and Plowman appealed that decision with the 35th Circuit Court.[8] Shiawassee County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Stewart ruled against the appeal, allowing the recall petitions to be circulated.[9]
Recall supporters
Jeff Reed, a resident of Byron, filed the petition against Root. "Everybody has to pay taxes. Ok. But you wanna rep, you wanna elect people who represent your best interest and spend your tax dollars, you know, you want it spent wisely, you want honesty, and that wasn't done," Reed said.[6]
Matthew Shepard filed the petition against Plowman. "Someone else should be in there to properly represent the people. We're here as a governing body as the people. And we should be the governing body," Shepard said.[6]
Recall opponents
At the clarity hearing on the recall petition, Plowman's lawyer argued the petition's language was vague.[6]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
The Shiawassee County Election Commission ruled that the recall petitions were factual and able to be circulated in September 2021.[6] Root, Garber, and Plowman filed appeals against the election commission's ruling with the 35th Circuit Court on September 15, 2021.[8] Shiawassee County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Stewart ruled against the appeal in October 2021, allowing the recall petitions to be circulated.[9]
To get the recalls on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect approximately 1,000 signatures per commissioner.[6] The signatures had to be collected within 60 days of each other.[7]
See also
- Shiawassee County, Michigan
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- County commission recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Argus-Press, "Recall of county commissioners won’t move forward," February 1, 2022
- ↑ The County of Shiawassee, "Board of Commissioners," accessed September 13, 2021
- ↑ ABC 12 News, "Embattled Shiawassee County commissioner resigns from office," January 12, 2022
- ↑ ABC 12 News, "Woman starts petition to remove Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners," July 29, 2021
- ↑ WNEM 5, "Shiawassee Co. Democratic Party threatens to recall commissioners if they do not resign," July 30, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 WNEM 5, "Commission rules recall petition against Shiawassee Co. officials as factual," September 7, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Owosso Independent News Group, "Recall Committee Forms to Oust Root, Garber and Plowman," August 23, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Argus-Press, "Commissioners appeal decision to OK recall," September 19, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 NBC 25 News, "Judge dismisses motion says recall petition in Shiawassee County can continue," October 26, 2021
