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March 8, 2006Recalls give voters last say on local issuesThe word "recall" used to mean to remember.As in, "Recall when local politics weren't so divisive and cut-throat?" Today, recall most often carries with it a political connotation, especially among local government office-holders and dissatisfied constituencies. Three northwestern Michigan communities late last month hosted recalls and voters bounced six of eight local officials targeted in those elections. Voters in Antrim County's Torch Lake Township rid themselves of their supervisor, but spared two other officials. Their alleged misdeed? They launched into government building projects deemed too expensive by opponents, certainly not a great idea in today's tax-weary, cash-strapped Michigan economy. Also in Antrim County, voters in the village of Elk Rapids fired all five council members targeted for recall, leaving but two dazed and confused council members to hold the fort. The five castaways made the mistake of siding with damn-the-rules developer Bill Clous and decided last year that Clous didn't have to return to the village planning commission after he altered a housing project. Village officials contended Clous' change was no big deal; enraged opponents thought otherwise and showed a handful of their elected representatives the door. Lastly, voters in Grand Traverse County's East Bay Township expressed their thoughts on the financial scandal that ruptured the community over the past year. They took out their anger on township Treasurer Debora Watson, the third and final leg of what once was East Bay's political hierarchy. Ex-supervisor Joseph Bartko and ex-Clerk Janice Gee already had been convicted for crimes in office, leaving Watson - her faults more negligence than theft - to face voters' wrath. The vote wasn't close, and it wasn't pretty. She's gone. We're generally not in favor of recall elections. In most cases, voters' concerns can be addressed during normal election cycles, with no additional burden to taxpayers. The better idea would be for voters to more fully and carefully screen candidates who run or seek re-election to local office. Too often, voters don't care enough or don't ask enough questions when it comes time to select their representatives. It's amazing how good questions can smoke out flawed or self-serving candidates. It's also incumbent upon voters to have a firm grasp of the issues when a recall election does arise. In some cases, recalls are pushed by embittered ex-officials -see the impending May recall of Elmwood Township's supervisor - or over highly fractious financial issues, such as the proposed sewer in Northport, a recall also set for May. We may not favor recalls, but such elections are part of citizens' democratic armament. And that's something those fortunate enough to hold elected office need to recall.
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