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The grassroots effort to recall three Alpena Public Schools Board of Education members was not certified, not because we lacked support, not because we were unable to gather signatures, and not because voters didn't participate.
It was stopped because the Alpena county clerk accepted a legal interpretation from attorneys representing the board members and used it to invalidate enough signatures to prevent certification.
How did this happen?
Every recall petition includes a section where the circulator certifies they personally collected the signatures on that petition sheet. That section is labeled "Complete Residence Address."
Our circulators entered their actual mailing addresses, which were the addresses they use for their homes.
However, an attorney for all three board members argued that "residence" required the name of the township where the home is physically located, rather than the city used in the mailing address. This firm noted that this residential ruling is fairly new to the courts and cited cases within Michigan from 2024 and 2025. Michigan's Supreme Court has refused to hear arguments about the lower court's rulings.
The residential distinction mattered for all circulators who lived outside of Alpena's city limits.
One circulator lived in Presque Isle Township and collected 271 signatures. On all of his petition sheets, he listed his address as "Presque Isle, MI 49777," which is in part, the mailing designation for his home.
Under the interpretation adopted by the Clerk, it should have read "Presque Isle Township, MI 49777." Consequently, all 271 of those voter's signatures were automatically rejected.
Another circulator lived in Ossineke and collected more than 100 signatures. Her address was listed as "Ossineke, MI 49766." This is her mailing address. All 100 of those voter's signatures were also rejected because she did not identify her residence as "Sanborn Township, MI 49766.
The signatures were not rejected because the circulators did not live there. They did. They were not rejected because voters were ineligible. They were rejected because the circulator's addresses were interpreted to not be the location of their actual residence.
This requirement was not stated in the instructions printed on the back of the petitions. It was not identified in the 2026 Recall Direction Manual provided to all clerks throughout Michigan. All Alpena area clerks were unaware of this interpretation.
It was raised by an elite Detroit-based law firm hired by Monica Dziesinski but who acknowledged they were representing all three board members.
Per this interpretation, roughly 800 total signatures were disqualified.
This situation raises serious questions about consistency and whether every reasonable effort was made to count valid signatures.
The recall volunteers sought additional legal opinions. We were told the issue was significant enough that it could and should be challenged in court. Unfortunately, this grassroots effort did not have the resources to pursue litigation.
We were volunteers. We collected signatures. We knocked on doors. We asked our neighbors to participate in democracy. And more than 4,300 people did.
Whether every action taken here was technically legal is ultimately a question for the courts. But citizens are entitled to question whether the process was fair, transparent, and consistent with the intent of the law. And we intend to keep asking those questions
The recall effort has ended. The voters who supported it however, are outraged.
In the final analysis, the three board members no longer enjoy the legitimacy of an election. Instead, their seats will continue to exist solely on a technicality in order to avoid being on your ballot in November. Clearly a vote they believed themselves, that they would lose.
Four school board seats will be on your ballot in November 2026. The terms of the three board members under attempted recall, expire in 2028.
To the more than 4,300 people who signed: remember what happened. Stay engaged. Vote. Attend meetings. Ask questions. Support candidates who reflect your values and the values of our entire community. Or better yet, run for office and be the change you seek.
A grassroots movement can be stopped by a technicality. But It cannot be silenced.
Unless we allow it to be.