Goodrich – Allegations of refusal to reduce village costs have prompted recall petitions aimed at removing four of five councilmembers.
Petitions seeking to oust Councilmembers Richard Horton, David Lucik and Pete Morey, as well as Council President Edmund York, were filed by village resident Diana Fredericks. Councilmember Patricia Wartella was not named.
A clarity hearing has been scheduled for 11:30 a.m., July 9 at the Genesee County Courthouse, with Judge Jennie Barkey, Genesee County Clerk Michael Carr and Treasurer Daniel Kiddee presiding. The number of signa-tures needed would be 20 percent of the registered voters in the village who voted in the last gubernatorial election.
‘The council just can’t keep digging into the village bank account,? said Fredericks, a village resident for the past six years.
‘Over the past year the village was offered the opportunity to save money by consolidating services with the (Atlas) township and reducing hours for the DPW’they just don’t want to change. All the information is not getting out to the people’there is no longer any representation.?
Fredericks suggested that village taxes should be paid equally for each resident, rather than based on home values.
‘Whether a home costs $500,000 or $50,000, we should all pay the same amount for services in the village.?
If approved, Fredericks said the recall will be on the November ballot. However, the next gubernatorial election would be November 2010 .
Village officials see the issues differently.
‘This council made a pledge that they would get on board with a 30 percent reduction in taxes and still be able to continue the health, safety and welfare projects that have been in the works for a number of years,? said Village Administrator Jakki Sidge.
‘The council had projects to complete. In addition, our expenses were reduced from $708,000 during the 2006-07 year to $584,000 for the 2009-10 fiscal year. People need to take a look at what they are signing if they are recalling this council,? Sidge said.
There have been several attempts to recall councilmembers over the last 10 years in the village, with two successful recall petitions filed since November 1998.
n The most recent battle began in September 2007. Village resident Greg Tankersley filed petitions in an effort to oust four of five village council members, President Edmund York, Richard Horton, David Lucik and Pete Morey. Not named in the recall is Patricia Wartella. The allegation made on the petition is failure to balance the village budget when requested to do so. The recall was rejected due to a petition slip-up on Jan. 23, 2008.
n In February 2005, residents headed to the polls to vote whether to recall Village Council President Keith Walworth, President Pro Tem Adam Kline, and councilpersons Angela Adamec, Mike Glynn, and Jayme Simmonds, based on an allegation that there was a failure to schedule an election for the disincorporation of the village charter of the Village of Goodrich when requested to do so. That recall successfully ousted all five councilmembers.
n In 1998, Councilmembers Marsha Rockafellow, David Lucik, Enid Pearson and Tom Gordon were successfully recalled over a road paving contract. Not recalled in that election was Keith Walworth.