Eric Lawson

ALPENA — The petitions to recall Alpena Public Schools board members Eric Lawson, Sarah Costain, and Monica Dziesinski are now circulating for signatures.

The petition language for Dziesinski and Lawson are the same with the exception of their names. That language reads as follows:

Petition for the calling of an election to recall Monica Dziesinski from the office of Board of Education Member, Alpena Public Schools for the the following reason(s):

1. On 01/27/2025, Monica Dziesinski voted yes to award a paving contract to a higher bidder.

2. On 03/24/2025, Dziesinski voted no to a $150,000 grant for a rain garden at Alpena High School.

3. On 06/30/2025, Dziesinski voted yes to hire a second law firm, Kallman Legal Group, for Alpena Public Schools

The petition language for Sarah Costain reads as follows:

Petition for the calling of an election to recall Sarah Costain from the office of Board of Education Member, Alpena Public for the following reason(s):

1. On 03/24/2025, Sarah Costain voted No to a $150,000 grant for a rain garden at Alpena High School.

2. On 06/30/2025, Costain voted yes to hire a second law firm, Kallman Legal Group, for Alpena Public Schools.

3. During 2025, her first year in office, Costain missed 30% of all school board meetings.

Yvonne Johnson, the sponsor of all three petitions, laid out the details behind each of the allegations against the three board members.

“First, they voted to reject a $150,000 grant-funded rain garden to replace aging parking lot infrastructure at Alpena High School and give students a unique learning opportunity,”Johnson said in a statement. “On March 24, 2025, these three members turned down $150,000 through the Huron Pines non-profit conservation group to turn a deteriorating dirt lot into a rain garden. The project would have collected and filtered stormwater runoff, given APS’s 3,900 students the chance for hands-on learning about ecology and conservation, and beautified the campus.”

“Second, on Jan. 27, 2025, Dziesinski and Lawson voted to award a paving contract to a higher bidder — paying $3,600 more,” Johnson continued. “According to the meeting minutes, senior project manager Tony Nathanial from Clark Construction called the asphalt mix in Goodrich Paving’s higher bid a ‘lower grade product.'”

“They selected the Goodrich bid even after Superintendent David Rabbideau warned that picking a higher bid ‘based on a relationship’ could limit competition and cost the district more for future projects,” Johnson said. Associate Superintendent for Business and Operations Mary Lyon advised the board to take the lower bid to act ethically, get the most value for the public’s dollars, and maintain a fair and equitable bid process.”

“Third, on June 30, 2025, all three board members added the Kallman Legal Group as counsel, entering an agreement to pay them $275 an hour for alá carté services in the first year, with the rate going up in the second year,” Johnson stated. “I’m concerned the board members added the two man Kallman firm when APS is already represented by the premier, public-sector law firm in Michigan, Thrun Law. Thrun has represented APS for more than six decades. Thrun serves the majority of Michigan’s school districts.”

“Finally, I want to hold Costain to account for her pattern of absenteeism, skipping about one third of all 2025 board meetings, her first year in office,” Johnson said. “The one-third statistic is quite generous to Costain because it focuses on all meetings. Costain missed five of the board’s 12 regular board meetings. That’s a truancy rate of 41.6%, nearly half for regular meetings; as you know, regular meetings are the sessions where the board makes decisions and takes actions that affect all our public schools.”

Lawson, Dziesinski, and Costain each shared their perspective for why they voted the way they did in each of the allegations brought forward by Johnson.

THE RAIN GARDEN

“I had unanswered concerns about the rain garden’s construction, maintenance and long-range effectiveness,” Lawson said. “Others thought that it would not drain properly in floods and storms. Is it political to want to avoid a project that could become a liability?”

“I want to be very clear, I support clean water, green space, students learning, and projects that benefit our environment,” Dziesinski said. “That wasn’t the issue with this project. The issue was the lack of a long-term plan and finance. Even though it was grant-funded, that is still taxpayer money. There was no clear maintenance plan, no committed volunteers, and no budget for ongoing care. We were unaware of any staff or student commitment to maintenance, learning, or upkeep.”

THE PAVEMENT BID

“There has been misinformation about us violating policy or state law,” Dziesinski said about the Goodrich bid. “School boards are not solely required to take the lowest price, but the lowest responsible bidder, allowing consideration of experience, quality, and reliability. Taking the lowest bid without these considerations would be irresponsible of taxpayer’s money.”

Lawson said he was far more comfortable using a known contractor with a proven product.

“I had concerns about the new product. Plus, the product we purchased was a proven one used at the junior high. Not inferior. Proven. Is pavement political? And regarding that bid policy, I brought it back before the board for reconsideration once I became board president, but they probably didn’t tell you that.”

KALLMAN LEGAL GROUP

“Recent comments make it sound like they’re really raiding our funds,” Lawson said. “You might be surprised to learn that not one cent has been spent on them yet. They are “on call” and ready to advise the board but have been paid $0. Again, the recall narrative depends on you not knowing that fact. Is it political to want to have a broader view of an issue and more information? Isn’t that exactly how you avoid lawsuits, by getting more perspectives on how a case might go?”

“School districts consult with multiple law firms and attorneys, that is standard practice,” Dziesinski said. “With this additional law firm there’s no retainer, and the hourly rate is lower than what we are currently paying. This gives the district more flexibility and can also help save money. We already use different attorneys depending on the situation that is needed.”

COSTAIN ABSENCES

“While I have missed some meetings due to extraordinary circumstances–including a medical emergency involving my infant child and a serious injury–I have remained engaged, informed, and committed to the work outside of formal meeting hours,” Costain said in a statement about her absences.

She recently reiterated at an April 20 board workshop meeting that the reasons she has missed meetings have not been “fun”, stating that in one incident she broke her foot in an accident on the way to a board meeting.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The News has allowed each candidate who is a subject to the recall effort to submit one column each for its commentary page to respond to the recall effort. They will also be allowed to run one Letter to the Editor a month until the matter is resolved.

The News has also extended the same opportunity to Yvonne Johnson, who started the recall process earlier this year.