Township supervisor and board of trustees recall, Eagle Township, Michigan (2023)
| Eagle Township Supervisor and Board of Trustees recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Kathy Oberg Richard Jones |
| Recall status |
Resigned (Oberg, Jones) |
| Recall election date |
| November 7, 2023 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
A recall election against Township Supervisor Patti Schafer was held on November 7, 2023, in Eagle Township, Michigan.[1] Schafer was removed from her position as supervisor as a result of the recall vote.[2]
Efforts to recall Township Treasurer Kathy Oberg and Trustee Richard Jones ended when both officials resigned effective November 29, 2023.[3][4][5][6]
Ballotpedia covered recall elections against 35 officials on November 7, 2023. Click here to read more about the other recall elections on the ballot.
Recall vote
General election
Special general election for Eagle Township Supervisor
Troy Stroud defeated incumbent Patti Schafer and Charles Truesdell in the special general election for Eagle Township Supervisor on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Troy Stroud (Independent) | 72.3 | 741 | |
| Patti Schafer (R) | 25.0 | 256 | ||
| Charles Truesdell (Independent) | 2.7 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 1,025 | |||
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Recall supporters
The text of the petition to recall Schafer that was approved by the Clinton County Election Commission read, "In the Spring of 2022, Eagle Township Supervisor Patti Schafer signed a non-disclosure agreement pertaining to the potential large-scale development of land in Eagle Township. This act limited the information available to Eagle Township residents affected by the potential development." Another petition to recall Schafer was filed on May 22, 2023. The language of the second petition was rejected during a clarity and factual hearing on June 8.[7][8]
Two petitions to recall Oberg were approved during a clarity and factual hearing. The first read, "In the Spring of 2022, Eagle Township Treasurer, Kathy Oberg, voted in support of a motion to have the Eagle Township Supervisor sign a non-disclosure agreement pertaining to the potential large-scale development of land in Eagle Township. The motion passed and the act limited the information available to Eagle Township Residents affected by the potential development."[7][9]
The second petition to recall Oberg read, "In the spring of 2022, Kathy Oberg voted yes to have Eagle Township Supervisor Patti Schafer sign a non-disclosure agreement pertaining to the potential large-scale development of land in Eagle Township. This act limited the information available to Eagle Township Residents."[10]
Three petitions to recall Jones were rejected during clarity and factual hearings. A fourth petition was filed on June 21, 2023, and approved during a hearing held on July 6. The text of the fourth petition read, "In the spring of 2022, Richard Jones voted yes to have Eagle Township Supervisor Patti Schafer sign a non-disclosure agreement pertaining to the potential large-scale development of land in Eagle Township. This act limited the information available to Eagle Township Residents."[11]
Recall opponents
Schafer filed a legal appeal regarding the approval of the recall language filed on March 15, 2023. She told the Lansing State Journal she would need to speak to her attorney before responding to a request for comment. Oberg and Jones did not respond to a request for comment from the Lansing State Journal.[5]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
No specific grounds are required for recall in Michigan. To get a recall on the ballot in Michigan, recall supporters must collect signatures equal in number to 25% of voters in the jurisdiction in the last gubernatorial election. They have 60 days between the collection of the first signature and the collection of the last signature on the petition. Recall petitions are eligible to collect signatures for 180 days.[12][13][14]
On July 11, 2023, Clinton County Clerk Deb Sutherland said that more than 500 signatures were submitted for the recall against Schafer.[15]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- City council recalls
- Mayoral recalls
- City official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan News Source, "Eagle Twp Supervisor Loses Appeal, Recall Election Can Proceed Against Megasite Supporter," August 2, 2023
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, "Election coverage: Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton counties," November 8, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Phone communication with the Eagle Township Clerk's Office," January 4, 2024
- ↑ WILX News 10, "Residents begin collecting signatures for recall of Eagle Township supervisor," March 30, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lansing State Journal, "A half dozen recall efforts in Eagle Township, but they can't all be on the ballot," May 31, 2023
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, "More recall petitions rejected, but fight to change Eagle Twp. board isn't over," June 8, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clinton County, "Recall Information," accessed June 6, 2023
- ↑ Clinton County, "Patti Schafer, Eagle Township Supervisor, Wording Filed on March 15, 2023," accessed June 6, 2023
- ↑ Clinton County, "Kathy Oberg, Eagle Township Treasurer, Wording Filed on May 4, 2023," accessed June 6, 2023
- ↑ 'Clinton County, "Kathy Oberg, Eagle Township Treasurer, wording filed on June 8, 2023," accessed July 3, 2023
- ↑ Clinton County, "Richard Jones, Eagle Township Trustee, wording filed on June 21, 2023," accessed July 3, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Act 116 of 1954: 168.955 Recall petition; number of signatures; certification." accessed October 13, 2023
- ↑ 'Michigan Election Law, "Act 116 of 1954: 168.961 Recall petition; filing; receipt; duties of filing official; duties of city or township clerk; certificate; duties of village clerk; use of qualified voter file." accessed October 13, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Election Officials' Manual, "Chapter 18 Recall Process," August 2017
- ↑ Lansing State Journal, "Eagle Township resident submits recall petition signatures against supervisor," July 11, 2023
