Who is subject to the Recall Effort:
Gerrish:
Supervisor - David Udy
supervisor@gerrishtownship.org
Trustee - Mary Jo Oppy
trustee2@gerrishtownship.org
Trustee - Terry Newton
trustee1@gerrishtownship.org
Note, the Clerk and Treasurer position are filed by unelected appointed individuals and cannot be recalled at this time.
Why a Recall:
David Udy, Mary Jo Oppy and Terry Newton have all voted to support the proposed Higgins Lake Sewer System. They have repeatably ignored requests that the $115 million project be subject to some sort of vote, referendum or majority petition process (based on individuals, not acreage) to determine if a majority of affected land owners want to proceed. We need to have elected officials that actually will represent a majority of Gerrish Township Residents.
How is a Recall Done:
The citizens of Michigan are granted the authority to perform a recall election by Section 8 of Article II of the Michigan Constitution. Recall is a process whereby voters can remove an elected official from office prior to the end of his or her term by a special election.
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. Click here to learn more about these hearings and which board conducts them.
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.[3] 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.[4][5]
The clerk or the Secretary of State then has 35 days to determine the validity of the signatures on the petition by verifying the voter registration status of those who signed.[6] If the petition is approved, a special recall election will be scheduled on the next general election date wherein other candidates may challenge the incumbent for the seat.[7]
If an election is forced, the incumbent may submit a justification statement for the conduct that triggered the recall which is printed on the special election ballot for voters to consider.[7]
How Many Signatures Does the Recall Effort Need?:
Gerrish Township requires 434 signatures (note that each officer subject to the recall has a separate recall petition).
The petition language for GERRISH as submitted reads as follows:
"Voted on 4/13/21 in favor of a sewer project estimated at $130,000,000 without seeking prior support from (a) majority of the township constituents in the proposed sewer assessment district."
The Gerrish Township Board voted for the formation of the Gerrish Lyon Utility Authority (GLUA). The stated PURPOSE of the GLUA as stated in the Articles of Incorporation which were approved is:
"The Purpose of this Authority is to acquire, own, improve, enlarge, extend and operate a sewage disposal system, to provide services in a designated service area in accordance with the Provisions of the Act."
As of Monday, May 9, 2022, the wording for a recall petition for Gerrish Township was approved by the Roscommon County Election Commission (RCEC). As of June 24, 2022, the Recall Petitions for Udy, Oppy and Newton can be circulated.
If you are a Registered Voter of Gerrish Township and would like to sign a Recall Petition, please send an email to:
lakeequality2021@gmail.com
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