Pontiac — Dozens packed an Oakland County Election Commission meeting on Monday in Pontiac as the commission approved petition language to recall County Commissioner Dave Woodward, the chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
A panel of County Clerk Lisa Brown, Chief Probate Judge Jennifer Callaghan and County Treasurer Robert Wittenberg voted unanimously to approve two of the three petitions submitted by the group I Am Oakland County for Woodward’s recall.
The recall petitions focus on Woodward’s handling of a vote at an April 8 commissioners’ meeting on purchasing a fleet of drones for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Residents filled the meeting, and many were angry when the board voted to move public comment period to the end.
The election panel agreed the language from the first and third petitions was clear enough for an average voter to understand. They made their decision in front of an at-capacity crowd in the Board of County Canvassers room — a first for that kind of meeting, said Brown.
Unless Woodward, a Royal Oak Democrat, appeals the petitions, they may be used to collect signatures for a recall vote Nov. 3. I Am Oakland County will have 60 days to collect signatures in Woodward’s district representative of 25% of votes cast in the district for all gubernatorial candidates in 2022. Woodward’s district includes parts of Troy, Royal Oak and Birmingham.
“We are really excited that the petition language was approved because we are ready to get this recall underway,” said Justine Galbraith, a leader of I Am Oakland County.
When asked if there will be an appeal, Woodward’s attorney Mark Brewer said that would be up to his client. An appeal would go before Oakland County Circuit Court, said Wittenberg.
The elections commission approved the first petition without much discussion, despite Brewer asserting the language of all three petitions were factually inaccurate. Brewer said the petitions said Woodward voted for a “miscellaneous” resolution — a title that would keep a voter from being able to accurately look up the resolution.
Brown asserted that “factual” doesn’t necessarily mean “true.”
“We ask where did votes take place when they voted on something, and it says that,” Brown said.
The panel rejected the second petition because it did not describe the resolution Woodward voted for.
The third petition closely resembled the first, but added that Woodward facilitated a vote to move public comment until after the drone vote. The panel voted in favor of this petition despite concerns that mentioning public comment being moved would confuse voters.
“I’m not sure, to me, it sways either way,” said Callaghan. “It’s stated as factual again.”
Residents from all over Oakland County — many of whom were at the April 8 meeting — spoke in favor of the petitions.
“(I’m) so disappointed that the board of commissioners has gotten to this point that there’s a recall,” said resident Susan Kuhn.
Brewer spoke broadly against the recall efforts after the petitions were approved.
“Dave Woodward is the reason that Oakland County has the Democratic leadership that it has today,” he said. “He’s worked harder the last 20 years to make it that way, and opponents like the people we saw today are going to do anything they can to try and stop him. The vast majority of people who spoke here today can’t even circulate or sign a petition against him, so this is motivated and being run entirely by people outside the district.”
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Petitions to recall Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward approved
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
