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Scottville Mayor recall petitions denied due to error
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — The Mason County Clerk’s office has rejected the petitions turned in to its office in an attempt to recall Scottville Mayor Marcy Spencer. The clerk’s office reports that 12 petitions were turned in with 113 signatures, but the petition organizer, former city commissioner Eric Thue, left a word off the end of the petition, therefore voided each one.
According to Dep. Clerk Lori Holmes, the word “conducted” was cut off of the end of the petitions.
Thue claims that Spencer violated the charter by only allowing one public comment session during meetings she conducted during a previous term as mayor. The mayor does not have sole authority over deciding the agenda and the act was allowable under both the city charter and the Michigan Open Meetings Act. Thue, in fact, actually approved the process when he served as a city commissioner, because each meeting’s agenda is approved at the start of the meeting. Thue never voted against approving the agenda.
His petitions stated: “Continuing a meeting policy began in 2021 with her as mayor, Spencer chaired meetings of the Scottville City Commission up to March 2023, violating procedures defined by the city charter that allowed for public comments before general business of the meeting. During this time, Spencer silenced the public from speaking until all business had been conducted.”
Thue is also a candidate for city commission. He attempted to run for re-election in 2022 but failed to turn in the proper amount of signatures in his petition. Then, he ran a write-in campaign and lost.
Holmes said the 12 petitions were turned in on Oct. 24 and he still has until mid-November to start the process over.
If approved, a special election would take place on May 2024. A special election costs the City of Scottville about $3,000, according to City Manager Jimmy Newkirk.
Spencer’s term ends November 2024.
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