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For months, I have stayed out of the recall debate regarding three members of the Alpena School Board, but recent developments have motivated me to finally chime in on the matter, which continues to be divisive in our community.
Despite spending weeks collecting recall signatures on the petitions and mending sore feet from hours of standing, proponents of the recall of school board trustees Eric Lawson, Sarah Costain, and Monica Dziesinski watched their recall effort dashed due to a recall law it seems few knew about, including myself.
In my opinion, the blame should fall on the Michigan Bureau of Elections, which has made the recall process too confusing and cumbersome.
Not that it should be simple to oust elated officials, but it should be easy enough to make sure as many people who sign petitions have their voices heard.
Thousands of signatures were disqualified due to people not being specific enough about where they live. For example, a person could have written that they live in Ossineke, but it would not be acceptable because Sanborn Township is the proper municipality.
There were many signatures that were eliminated due to this.Even so, there were still thousands of signatures that did count and that should not be taken lightly and be a wake-up call for everyone on the school board.
I understand that the law is the law and the rules are the rules, but this does reek of being a type of technicality and another byproduct of the state which somehow always finds a way to make things harder than they need to be.
Despite that, it doesn't mean there should be as much fingerpointing and gloating as there is in Alpena currently, especially on Facebook.
Some supporters of the recall are crying foul and placing blame where maybe it isn't deserved, while residents who were opposed to the recall rushed to mock and taunt those who supported it.
It is just another sad reminder of how toxic social media has become and how quickly people use it to vent and spread misinformation.
Those who celebrate the failed recall should remember they could have suffered the same fate if the situation was reversed.
I'm sure they would feel a lot of hard work had gone to waste too.
The discovery of the recall law was one that couldn't be ignored by Alpena County Clerk Keri Bertrand, who was backed into a corner and forced to make a decision that she knew would be unpopular with many. Bravo to her for making a hard decision knowing there would be finger pointing and false accusations made against her, mainly on social media, of course.
Those types of decisions aren't easy to make and she decided to take the side of the law, which is her job.
Another topic that has sparked anger from those who spearheaded the recall was the fact that Dziesinski hired an out-of-town attorney to assist her during the recall process. It seems it was the lawyer who discovered the recall law and utilized it to challenge signatures that he believed were invalid.
In my opinion, Dziesinski had every right to seek legal counsel, as did the people leading the recall effort. As everyone has learned in the last week or so, the process is more daunting and confusing than at first glance. She isn't the first elected official to hire legal help during a recall and she for sure won't be the last.
The bottom line is, I feel bad for the people who worked hard to collect the signatures only to have the effort thwarted by another Michigan law that may not have been properly explained, in my opinion.
I am also glad that Lawson, Costain, and Dziesinski can put the issue behind them, at least for now, and focus on the task at hand, which is to make sure the Alpena Public Schools is the best it can be, for everyone.
Will there be another recall effort, I don't know. But, I do know that the board of education will continue to be under a microscope, as all governing boards and committees should be.