Ortonville- A recall petition form against Village Council President Sue Bess has been filed with the Oakland County Clerk, albeit the incorrect form.
Kim Noble, elections specialist for Oakland County confirmed that on Aug. 18, the county received the form petitioning for the calling of an election to recall Bess from her office.
The reason stated on the petition obtained by The Citizen reads: ‘We the undersigned electors request that the recall of Susan K. Bess be placed before the voters of the village of Ortonville, Michigan. She has abused her power as Village President for financial gain to her personal friends, through unrightful employment and financial favors.?
The petition was signed by village resident Jane Derry.
The county sent Derry back the form, along with a new one that is specifically for village recalls.
Contacted last week, Derry said she was not sure if she was going to file the correct form and had no comment on the original form, as it was not properly done.
‘Nothing has been officially done,? she said. ‘I can’t tell you what is going to happen.?
Bess, council president since 1989, said she had ‘heard through the grapevine? a recall petition was coming, but expressed surprise that Derry filed the form.
‘I can’t believe, of all people, this would be the one,? said Bess, who noted she has worked with Derry on community events including Christmas in the Village. ‘I can think of a dozen others I would have expected it from, but not her.?
Shown the recall petition, Bess looks it over and says, ‘That’s quite interesting. It’s very, very sad. I don’t understand the allegations. No clue. If I’m going to be accused of something, tell me what I’m being accused of.?
Looking at the form further, she adds that when the village hires someone, it is voted on by the entire council and when interviews take place, there are always at least three councilmembers present, never less.
‘I’ve been in this town 36 years,? she notes. ‘It’s very difficult to not run across someone you know when interviewing for a position… I have to be objective and vote for the person I think will do the best job for the village.?
Bess believes she herself has done the best job for the village that she can. On a scale of 1-10 for job performance, she gives herself an 8 and a half. She said that although she and the other councilmembers don’t always agree, she has never had problems with any of them and this filing of a petition recall form against her is a first. She notes that she’s never had anyone run against her in an election.
Now, she is waiting to see what will happen and for an accusation she can understand.
Noble says a recall petition can not be signed until the language is approved by the election commission, consisting of the county clerk, county treasurer and chief probate judge. Should the correct form be returned, a hearing would be held within 10-20 days to approve or deny the language used in the recall petition.
The county clerk’s office receives up to six recall petitions a year, says Noble. A recall can not be made against a person in office for less than six months or a person who is six months away from leaving office. A recall petition can be filed for any reason and can be denied only for clarity of language.
If approved, the petitioner has 180 days to get the required number of signatures. This number must equal 25 percent of the number of village electors in the last gubernatorial election in order to have a recall issue on the ballot. The earliest this could happen would be a February election.
‘I have no plans to step down,? says Bess. ‘Something like this would not deter me.?