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As a person who personally circulated recall petitions, I cannot let the recent letter from a board member go unanswered.
The claim that circulators told people petitions were "just a poll" is false. I was trained on petition procedures. We knew exactly what we were circulating, and we explained as people were signing recall petitions. To suggest otherwise is an insult to volunteers.
She also claims circulators spread misinformation. The reasons for the recall were not fabricated by us. Judge Curtis determined the recall language met the legal standard to proceed. Disagreeing with the reasons doesn't make them false.
Much is being made of invalid signatures. Some signatures were rejected because individuals weren't registered voters. When we asked people if they were registered, we relied on their answers. That is why our grassroots group deliberately collected far more signatures than required.
Despite those rejected signatures, we still had enough to move forward.
Board members then challenged virtually every signature after the clerks had validated them. We still had enough.
The recall ultimately failed because a high-powered law firm successfully argued a technicality involving a circulator's address, that a "residence address" should've been listed instead of a "mailing address." This distinction was unclear to ordinary citizens and apparently to election officials as well.
Finally, thanking the 20,000 who didn't sign while criticizing the 4,300 who did is divisive and disrespectful. Those 4,300 citizens exercised their constitutional right to participate.
This recall effort was driven by community members who volunteered their time because they believed something needed to change. We knocked on doors, stood in public places, answered questions and followed the instructions we were given. We did not have big money, professional political consultants or a high-powered law firm. We had citizens who cared enough to get involved.
Vicky Lindsay
Alpena