05/12/2006

Editorial

Elmwood recall effort deserves state scrutiny

When folks from the Secretary of State's office look into the Elmwood Township recall election they'll need a big flashlight — and a load of skepticism.

At least one of the recall leaders has a public track record of making claims that later prove untrue. And a recall committee sidestepped campaign reporting requirements until after the voting.

In 2004, during an effort to recall former supervisor Noel Flohe, the state police quizzed petition circulators about illegal doings. (No one was ever charged, although a few people had the beejesus scared out of them when troopers came pounding at their doors after dark.)

At the time, Flohe said the board had "nothing to do with this matter in any shape or form." When the state police later confirmed the township board had called them in, Flohe said some board members did so as individuals, not elected officials.

"It was done outside of township time and expense." Citizen Flohe.

Also during his tenure, Flohe once claimed an attorney hadn't charged taxpayers for work on a series of court cases (all of which the township lost).

"I won't say why," Flohe said about Traverse City attorney Edgar Roy. "That would be his prerogative."

That bubble burst when Roy billed the township for more than $34,000.

This time, the issue revolves around two committees formed to support a recall attempt against Derith Smith, who ousted Flohe in 2004.

Smith supporters think the two committees were formed to circumvent state election laws. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that they're right.

The treasurer for Elmwood Citizens for Honest Officials is Ellie Lessard. The treasurer for the Elmwood Township Alliance, by coincidence, is her husband, former township harbormaster Charles Lessard.

Both filed campaign finance report waivers stating they didn't expect to spend more than $1,000 and weren't required to submit pre-election finance reports by the April 21 deadline. The recall was May 2.

Last week, however, ECHO said it had surpassed the threshold and would amend its filing — which must include the names of contributors.

Both groups sent out multiple pre-election mailings and at least two, one from each group, include paragraphs of identical content.

A mailer from ECHO listed a group called Elmwood Citizens for Honest Government, which never registered with the county clerk; Ellie Lessard said she had never heard of them.

Curiouser and curiouser.

These goings-on are a perfect example of why the state must toughen campaign finance laws, as suggested by Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, to prevent election committees from hiding their membership and avoiding reporting deadlines. Citizens and voters deserve to know who is who in any election, particularly a recall, before they cast a ballot.