Township supervisor and board of trustees recall, Richfield Township, Michigan (2022)

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Richfield Township Supervisor and Board of Trustees recall
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Officeholders
John Bawol

Greg Watt

Terri Hidey
Recall status
Recall approved (Bawol & Watt)
Recall defeated (Hidey)
Recall election date
November 8, 2022
Signature requirement
25% of township voters from previous gubernatorial election
See also
Recall overview
Political recall efforts, 2022
Recalls in Michigan
Michigan recall laws
Mayoral recalls
City council recalls
Recall reports

An election to recall Township Supervisor John Bawol, Clerk Greg Watt, and Treasuer Terri Hidey was held on November 8, 2022, in Richfield Township, Michigan.[1][2] Voters approved the recall against Bawol and Watt. The recall against Hidey failed after no challenger qualified for the ballot in the election.[3]

Recall vote

Bawol recall election

General election

Special general election for Richfield Township Supervisor

Ray Wlosinski defeated incumbent John Bawol in the special general election for Richfield Township Supervisor on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Ray Wlosinski (No Party Affiliation)
 
50.7
 
829
John Bawol (R)
 
48.3
 
789
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0
 
16

Total votes: 1,634
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Watt recall election

General election

Special general election for Richfield Township Clerk

Pam Scott defeated incumbent Greg Watt in the special general election for Richfield Township Clerk on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Pam Scott (D)
 
51.1
 
893
Greg Watt (R)
 
48.6
 
850
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
6

Total votes: 1,749
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Hidey recall election

General election

Special general election for Richfield Township Treasurer

Incumbent Terry Hidey won election in the special general election for Richfield Township Treasurer on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Terry Hidey (R)
 
94.8
 
1,267
 Other/Write-in votes
 
5.2
 
70

Total votes: 1,337
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Note: No candidates filed to run in the recall against Hidey.[2]

Recall supporters

Township resident Lori derPilibosian was among the recall's organizers. She said that Bawol, Watt, and Hidey had voted in favor of excessive salary increases for township officials in a meeting on March 9, 2022.[2]

According to The Houghton Lake Resorter, the board approved a 20.68% increase for the clerk position, a 14.48% increase for the treasurer position, and a 5.9% increase for the supervisor position.[2]

Recall opponents

Bawol said that the board had voted in December 2021 to change the township's health insurance coverage so that only township officials would be covered. Previously, the officials' family members received healthcare coverage as well. The result, Bawol said, was that the total compensation for the supervisor, treasurer, and clerk positions had actually decreased, even after the increase in salary approved in 2022.[2]

For example, Bawol said that Watt's compensation for 2019-2020 included $21,444 for healthcare and $26,539 for the annual salary. For 2022-2023, Bawol said that Watt's compensation package included $32,676 for salary and $3,421 of funds in place of healthcare.[2]

Bawol, Hidey, and Watt each said that the raises were justified, given the amount of work that each position demanded.[2]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan

For the recall election to be scheduled, organizers needed to collect signatures equal to 25% of the people who voted in the township for the office of governor in the previous gubernatorial election.

Organizers submitted signatures to the county clerk's office on August 4, 2022. The recall election was scheduled for November 8, 2022.[2]

See also

External links

Footnotes