Town board recall, Saugatuck Township, Michigan (2018)
| Town Board recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Lori Babinski Douglas Lane Roy McIlwaine |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| November 6, 2018 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City official recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Saugatuck Township, Michigan, to recall Town Clerk Brad Rudich, Town Treasurer Lori Babinski, and Town Trustees Douglas Lane and Roy McIlwaine was initiated in November 2017. Recall organizers Cindy Osman and Kathy Sturm submitted petition language against Rudich, Babinski, and Lane to the Allegan County Election Commission on December 5, 2017, after two previous petitions were rejected by the election commission. At the clarity hearing about the petition on December 18, 2017, the commission voted 2-1 to approve the recall language. A recall petition against McIlwaine was approved for circulation by the county on December 4, 2017.[1] Petitioners turned in enough signatures for each official on February 27, 2018.[2]
The recall election was held on November 6, 2018. All four officials were defeated by their opponents in the recall election.[3]
Recall vote
The recall election was held on November 6, 2018. All four officials were defeated by their opponents in the recall election.[3]
| Brad Rudich Recall Election, Saugatuck Township, 2018 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  William Wester Sr. |
57.7% | 1,113 | |
| Republican | Brad Rudich Incumbent | 42.3% | 817 | |
| Total Votes | 1,930 | |||
| Source: Allegan County Election Commission | ||||
| Lori Babinski Recall Election, Saugatuck Township, 2018 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jon Helmrich |
54.8% | 1,061 | |
| Republican | Lori Babinski Incumbent | 45.2% | 875 | |
| Total Votes | 1,936 | |||
| Source: Allegan County Election Commission | ||||
| Roy McIlwaine Recall Election, Saugatuck Township, 2018 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Abby Bigford |
57.6% | 1,105 | |
| Republican | Roy McIlwaine Incumbent | 42.4% | 815 | |
| Total Votes | 1,920 | |||
| Source: Allegan County Election Commission | ||||
| Douglas Lane Recall Election, Saugatuck Township, 2018 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Stacey Aldrich |
61% | 1,174 | |
| Republican | Douglas Lane Incumbent | 39% | 750 | |
| Total Votes | 1,924 | |||
| Source: Allegan County Election Commission | ||||
Recall supporters
The December 5 petition argued that Babinski, Lane, and Rudich should have removed Township Manager Aaron Sheridan rather than voting to reprimand him during a meeting on August 16, 2017. The separate petition against McIlwaine shared the same language.
Township Supervisor Jon Phillips accused Sheridan of threatening behavior involving public officials, abusive language, and indecent conduct. Sheridan’s employee evaluation was the topic of a closed session during the August 16 meeting.[4] Phillips presented his accounts of misconduct by Sheridan during the closed session. When the board returned to open session, Phillips motioned to have Sheridan dismissed as manager, but no other board members seconded the motion. The board then unanimously approved a motion to reprimand Sheridan and include that reprimand in his permanent personnel file. Sheridan was also ordered by the board to attend anger management classes.[5]
Recall opponents
During an earlier clarity hearing on the recall effort, Rudich said that the effort was fueled by opposition to Sheridan from the fire board and residents in neighboring towns.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
Each recall petition in Michigan must be approved for circulation during a clarity hearing held by the county election commission. This hearing determines if the charges made in the petition are clear enough for a voter to understand. If approved for circulation, a recall organizer can initiate the signature-gathering process. Recall proponents needed 336 valid signatures in order to trigger a recall election for each official.[1]
The recall petition against McIlwaine was approved on December 4, 2017, and the petitions against Rudich, Babinski, and Lane were approved on December 18, 2017.[6]
Petitioners turned in enough signatures for each official on February 27, 2018. There were 415 signatures turned in for Rudich, 393 signatures for Lane, 387 signatures for Babinski, and 375 signatures for McIlwaine.[2]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- City council recalls
- City official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Holland Sentinel, "New recall language filed for Saugatuck Township board members," December 8, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Holland Sentinel, "Petitioners get required signatures to trigger Saugatuck Township recall," March 22, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Holland Sentinel, "Saugatuck Township board members recalled following Tuesday’s election," November 7, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsaaug - ↑ Observer Newspapers, "Saugatuck Township Manager Aaron Sheridan Publicly Reprimanded For Use Of F--- Word, Unethical & Unprofessional Actions & Threatening Behavior Involving Officials, Public," August 18, 2017
- ↑ Holland Sentinel, "Three more Saugatuck Township board members up for recall," December 19, 2017
