UPDATE! Recall Petitions With A Twist?

I stand corrected, and many thanks to Leon Drolet of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance for setting me straight. A federal court ruling in late 2008 found the residency requirement for circulators unconstitutional. Here's a link to Michigan Recall Procedures: A General Overview (.pdf file) from the Secretary of State's office which clarifies the rules. So. If we could afford to hire these women, I guess it would be legal. We can't, obviously, and it just seems to me like it shouldn't be allowed (paying outsiders), but there you have it. On the plus side, this ruling means that friends and family who don't live here CAN come in to help us. None of this changes my concerns about carefully following all the other procedures, rules and laws, though.

I received a very interesting phone call about 10:30 this morning. A woman who claimed to have obtained my home phone number from the "clerk's office" was inquiring about the recall campaign. Here's the twist:

She and her friend are very experienced petition circulators, she said, and they would be happy to help us gather the needed signatures on our petitions. They were most recently involved in a petition drive in Redford, and she could guarantee the quality and speed of their work. For a fee. I simply told her we are not in a financial position to pay, mostly because I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing.

Either this lady is ignorant of Michigan election law or she thinks I am. What she proposed is ILLEGAL. Neither she nor her friend live in Armada Township and are therefore most definitely NOT qualified to serve as circulators here. I quote from the list of instructions for circulators on the back of the recall petition form:

"Enter the name of the city or township where you are registered. You must be registered to vote in a city or township represented by the officeholder whose recall is sought."

No one who actually reads the rules could be confused. This may be just the beginning of attempts to trick or tempt us into breaking the law. DON'T BE FOOLED. If you are contacted by anyone (especially someone you don't know!) with brilliant ideas about how to run this recall, PLEASE check with us first! We have people who are well-versed in the law and recall procedures who can guide you to be sure everything is above-board and LEGAL.

No one should be circulating anything yet; our clarity hearing is still one week away. If we get approval from the Election Commission next Monday, then and only then do we begin gathering signatures!

No matter how badly we may want these folks removed from office, we cannot - WILL NOT - resort to behaving in any way which might discredit or negate the effort. If you have any questions, please use the contact information in the right sidebar to contact us. As always, check this site for any updates or new information.

Recall Update

The recall committee held its first meeting Monday night; thanks to everyone who turned out on very short notice! We discussed the proposed petition language and agreed on two sets of wording. The petitions have not been filed with the county because Michigan law prohibits the recall of an elected official in the first six or last six months of their term in office:

168.951 Officers subject to recall; time for filing recall petition; performance of duties until result of recall election certified.

Sec. 951.

Every elective officer in the state, except a judicial officer, is subject to recall by the voters of the electoral district in which the officer is elected as provided in this chapter. A petition shall not be filed against an officer until the officer has actually performed the duties of the office to which elected for a period of 6 months during the current term of that office. A petition shall not be filed against an officer during the last 6 months of the officer's term of office. An officer sought to be recalled shall continue to perform duties of the office until the result of the recall election is certified.

So, what's next? We are continuing to gather documents and information needed for the effort while we wait for the appropriate time to file the petitions. I'll update this site as often as possible and necessary to keep you informed. If you have any questions, please use the e-mail address armadarecall@att.net to contact us.