Mayor Gillis and Mayor Pro Tem Davey named
By Barb Pert Templeton
An Algonac resident’s plan to recall Mayor Rocky Gillis and Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey became official on July 23 when petitions were filed with the St. Clair County Clerk’s office.
City resident Sandra Simmons had repeatedly appeared at city council meetings over the last year to ask officials to acknowledge and explain why a notice of a public hearing on the special assessment district (SAD) for the city’s fire department was in fact not posted prior to the election in 2024. (The special assessment was approved by voters by a margin of 62%.)
Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey admitting during a June 2025 council meeting that she was wrong and Simmons was right about the issue but that didn’t halt the recall plan. Simmons main claim is that officials on the council, which includes Davey and Gillis, violated the Open Meetings Act and Public Act 33 of 1951.
Algonac Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey.
The petitions, now filed in St. Clair County, will be reviewed to ensure that they reflect a clear and factual reasons for the recall based on the officials’ conduct in office. The county election commission will meet, in this case that hearing will be on Tuesday, Aug. 5, to see if the reasons meet the criteria for a recall.
If the upcoming hearing has officials approving the petitions, then Simmons will have 60 days to collect enough signatures to put the recall issue on the ballot.
When contacted via email on July 30 Gillis, a lifelong resident of Algonac, member of the city council since 2018 and mayor since 2022, was dismayed at the turn of events.
“To be honest, I’m disappointed that a recall petition has been filed. I ran for office to serve my community with integrity and transparency, and I remain committed to that mission,” Gillis said. “That said, I understand public service comes with scrutiny, and I respect the democratic process, even when it’s difficult.”
Gillis said he plans to attend the August clarity hearing. He noted that the city attorney cannot represent him or provide him with legal advice because this is a personal political issue, not a city matter.
“I’ve always done my best to lead with integrity and to make Algonac a place my son can be proud to grow up in,” Gillis added.
Algonac Mayor Rocky Gillis.
When reached by phone on July 31, Davey said she wasn’t concerned about the petition to recall her because the language on it is very vague and most likely won’t get approved by the commission.
“This is what she gets to do, (file petitions),” Davey said. “So, for me to go off on her for doing it and say it’s wrong would make me a hypocrite because I’ve been involved in recall matters myself in the past.”
Davey plans to attend the Aug. 5 hearing in person.
The reason listed on the recall petitions by Simmons reads as follows: “Public official Rocky Gillis/Dawn Davey violated the Open Meetings Act 267 of 1976 (MCL – 15.261-265) and the Police and Fire Protection Act 33 of 1951 (MCL 41.80) regarding a special assessment district millage that was approved by the city board July 5, 2023 without a public notice for a hearing being given.
