Township supervisor and board of trustees recall, Green Charter Township, Michigan (2023)
| Green Charter Township Supervisor and Board of Trustees recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Janet Clark Denise MacFarlane James Peek Gary Todd Roger Carroll Dale Jernstadt |
| Recall status |
Resigned (Peek and Todd) |
| Recall election date |
| November 7, 2023 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall Township Supervisor James Chapman, Clerk Janet Clark, Treasurer Denise MacFarlane, and Trustees Roger Carroll and Dale Jernstadt was scheduled for November 7, 2023, in Green Charter Township, Michigan.[1] Recall organizers had until August 4, 2023, to submit enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election.[2][3][4]
Voters recalled Chapman, Clark, MacFarlane, Carroll, and Jernstadt.[5]
On June 13, 2023, Trustee James Peek resigned. Trustee Gary Todd resigned effective September 13, 2023.[6][7]
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
Chapman recall
General election
Special general election for Green Charter Township Supervisor
Jason Kruse defeated incumbent James Chapman in the special general election for Green Charter Township Supervisor on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jason Kruse (Independent) | 59.7 | 740 | |
| James Chapman (R) | 40.2 | 498 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1 | ||
| Total votes: 1,239 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Clark recall
General election
Special general election for Green Charter Township Clerk
Corri Riebow defeated incumbent Janet Clark in the special general election for Green Charter Township Clerk on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Corri Riebow (Independent) | 52.7 | 655 | |
| Janet Clark (R) | 47.1 | 585 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 1,242 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
MacFarlane recall
General election
Special general election for Green Charter Township Treasurer
Robert Henderson defeated incumbent Denise MacFarlane in the special general election for Green Charter Township Treasurer on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Robert Henderson (Independent) | 52.9 | 656 | |
| Denise MacFarlane (R) | 46.9 | 582 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 1,240 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Carroll recall
General election
Special general election for Green Charter Township Board of Trustees At-large
Kelly Cushway defeated incumbent Roger Carroll in the special general election for Green Charter Township Board of Trustees At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kelly Cushway (Independent) | 57.1 | 707 | |
| Roger Carroll (R) | 42.6 | 527 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 1,238 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Jernstadt recall
General election
Special general election for Green Charter Township Board of Trustees At-large
Jeffrey Thorne defeated incumbent Dale Jernstadt in the special general election for Green Charter Township Board of Trustees At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jeffrey Thorne (Independent) | 61.6 | 758 | |
| Dale Jernstadt (R) | 38.3 | 471 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 1,231 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Recall supporters
Organizers initiated the recall effort after the board members "voted yes to approve a resolution adopted by the Township Board of the Township at a meeting held on the 13th day of December 2022 titled 'CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF GREEN COUNTY OF MECOSTA RESOLUTION NO. 01-122022,' a 'RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT GOTION INC AND THEIR BRINGING THEIR INDUSTRIAL PROJECT TO GREEN CHARTER TOWNSHIP'" according to the text of the recall petitions filed against them.[1]
Recall opponents
Chapman appealed the decision to approve the recall language against him. Big Rapids Pioneer reported that he said, “Those who are promoting this (recall) continue to say that it will cancel the Gotion project coming in, and that is false.”[8]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
A recall petition must first be filed with the appropriate board, which then holds a hearing to determine whether the reason for the petition is factual and clear; that is the only criteria considered by the board to approve or reject the petition.
Once approved by the board, the petitioner must amass a number of signatures equal to 25 percent of the number of votes cast in the last general election in the electoral district of the officer sought to be recalled.[9] The petitioner has 60 days to collect these signatures beginning on the date the first signature is collected; however, the petition must be submitted no later than 180 days after it was approved by the board. For recall of state officials, the petition is submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State; for local officials, the petition is submitted to the county or township clerk in the county where the official resides.
The recall petitions were filed with the Mecosta County Clerk on April 28, 2023. Petitions were approved for circulation in a clarity hearing held on May 11, 2023. Recall organizers had until August 4, 2023, to submit enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election.[2]
On August 1, 2023, Mecosta County Clerk Marcee Purcell announced that her office would begin verifying about 600 signatures that were filed for the recall against Chapman.[10]
On August 14, 2023, Purcell notified Clark, MacFarlane, Carroll, Jernstadt, and Todd that the petitions against them had been deemed sufficient, and a recall election had been scheduled for November 7, 2023.[3]
On August 30, 2023, Purcell announced that the recall election against Chapman would take place on November 7, 2023. Chapman had challenged the petition language, but a judge from Michigan's 49th Circuit Court ruled against him.[4]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- City council recalls
- Mayoral recalls
- City official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Midwesterner, "Recalls filed against entire Green Charter Twp leadership over CCP Gotion project," April 29, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Just the News, "Michigan woman leads effort to recall officials who approved EV battery factory with China ties," June 28, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Big Rapids Pioneer, "Mecosta County clerk calls for recall election Nov. 7," August 16, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Big Rapids Pioneer, "Chapman recall election set for Nov. 7 in Green Charter Township," September 4, 2023
- ↑ MLive, "Michigan township board recalled for backing Gotion battery plant," November 8, 2023
- ↑ Big Rapids Pioneer, "Sarah Rasmussen to board of trustees, special election avoided," July 15, 2023
- ↑ Green Charter Township website, "SEPTEMBER 12, 2023, MEETING OF THE GREEN CHARTER TOWNSHIP BOARD Minutes," accessed September 28, 2023
- ↑ Big Rapids Pioneer, "Local officials face recall in Green Charter, Big Rapids townships," July 20, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Michigan Compiled Laws Section 168.955," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Pioneer, "Green Charter Township supervisor recall petition receives over 600 signatures," August 1, 2023
