Wednesday September 16th 2009
Today the Ingham County Election Commission
approved the clarity of the recall petition
language which will be printed on forms
registered Michigan voters may sign to exercise
their Constitutional rights to recall from office any
Michigan elected officer, except judges.
Earlier attempts to launch this recall effort
designed to remove Jennifer Granholm from the
Office of Governor failed to win approval for
"lack of clarity" as determined by Ingham County
Treasurer; Ingham County Probate Judge; and,
Ingham County Clerk.
Now that this hurdle has been eliminated,
authenticated signatures from a minimum of
950,314 registered Michigan voters must be
collected within the next ninety (90) days in
order to put the question of whether to end
Jennifer Granholm's term in office on the ballot
for a vote before all Michigan voters at the next
regularly scheduled election.
Signatures on the recall petition are being
sought in all 83 Michigan counties. Volunteer
donors, coordinators and signers are invited to
Donations for the printing, postage, mailing &
processing of the recall petitions are necessary
to insure the success of this grass-root citizen
efforts. Send your appreciated donations to:
RECALL GOV
P.O. Box #1144
Standish, Michigan 48658
These funds are NOT tax-deductible!
ABC 3 News / Sept. 16, 2009 / (Comments may be posted on this article.)
September 16, 2009 5:09 PM
The fourth time's the charm for an Omer man, who recieved the go
ahead to collect signatures to recall Governor Jennifer Granholm.
In his previous attempts, the Ingham County Election Commission
said Paul Piche did not have correct language in his petition which
stated that Granholm laid off 100 troopers while releasing convicted
felons, jeopardizing people's safety.
Piche will need more than 950,000 signatures in the next 90 days to
get the recall on the ballot.
Prison guard now must get 950K signatures to get issue on ballot; gov's office to appeal
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Lansing -- The Omer prison guard trying to recall Gov. Jennifer
Granholm is collecting signatures and building a Web site now
that his petition language has finally won approval.
Paul Piche, a Corrections officer at the Standish state prison
which is closing, must gather more than 950,000 signatures in
90 days, a task he acknowledges will be difficult.
"I've got my fingers crossed, and I say a prayer to Jesus every
day. I'm not really that religious, but I could use some help," he
said.
The Ingham County Election Commission voted 2-1 Wednesday
to approve petition language that says Granholm should be
recalled for laying off 100 State Police troopers and "at the
same time releasing convicted felons, jeopardizing public
safety." The panel said it rejected three previous petitions
because they were too wordy and vague.
Michael Hodge, Granholm's outside legal counsel, will appeal
the ruling, said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for the governor.
Grounds for the appeal will be made clear when it is filed, she
said.
The governor laid off 100 troopers in July and has ordered the
closure of three prisons and five prison camps in a budget-
cutting move that will result in the release of more than 3,000
inmates.
Corrections officials say those released will have served their
minimum sentences.
Piche said he mailed 10 petitions to a Livingston County woman
who was raped by an attacker who was paroled after 12 years
-- three years before his minimum sentence.
He's also building a Web site that should be ready in a couple of
days and will e-mail petition forms to those who are interested,
he said.
After Piche submits the signatures,the state Bureau of
Elections must determine within 35 days whether sufficient
signatures have been gathered. If approved, the Secretary of
State will call for a recall election on the next regular election
date that is not less than 95 days after the date the petition is
filed.
Welcome to the Granholm Recall Exploratory Committee:
Note: They also laughed at us when we planned to rally in Washington DC. We all know about the record numbers that turned out to rally in DC, just something to think about.
Mark Hornbeck / The Detroit News / Sunday, September 6, 2009
Standish -- Paul Piche has heard the whispers.
They go like this: The 52-year-old Omer prison guard is jousting at windmills in his effort to recall Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Even if he should get petition language approved -- which he has failed to do three times -- he has to collect more than 950,000 signatures in 90 days to get a special recall election on the ballot. That's a tall order even for the most organized campaign, let alone a one-man crusade armed only with an e-mail address.
No campaign to put a gubernatorial recall on the ballot has ever been successful. Efforts to recall Granholm's predecessors, Govs. John Engler and James Blanchard, fell far short.
But the persistent Piche won't let naysayers deter him. He plans to return to the Ingham County Elections Commission for a fourth time this month to try to get petition wording approved. This time, he's offering eight versions, hoping the three-member panel will find one they like.
"I'm driven," the short, stocky 24-year veteran corrections officer said. "I'm a long-time public servant so I'm used to dealing with frustration. A message needs to be sent. The governor must be stopped."
Piche objects to Granholm reducing the state's inmate population to help balance the cash-starved budget. The governor is closing three prisons and five camps this year, releasing about 3,500 inmates to save $120 million. Piche said pushing the convicted felons onto the streets endangers public safety. He carries a thick file folder of cases in which past parolees have committed new crimes.
Corrections officials counter they're paroling prisoners who have surpassed their minimum sentences and are no more of a threat than others who are let out of state lockups after serving their time.
'It has to be stated clearly'
Granholm's attorney, Michael Hodge, said a citizen can attempt a recall for nearly any reason, even if it's an outright lie. The state requires only that petitions and ballot language are written in ways that are understandable to voters and the recall subject. He said Piche has fallen short.
"You have to identify conduct that has occurred during the current term of office and it has to be stated clearly," Hodge said. "He wants to tell a story so badly that he keeps trying to spin it and that's where he gets into trouble."
Hodge is being paid through Granholm's campaign account, because under campaign finance law, "recall activity is election activity and so we have to avoid using state resources," said Liz Boyd, the governor's spokeswoman. Piche has said on petitions that the governor should be immediately recalled "as a result of the increased jeopardy and compromised public safety resulting from the wholesale release of convicted felony offenders ordered by Ms. Granholm." The Ingham County commission has called his previous efforts too wordy, too vague and too predicated on what could happen.
Piche is convinced he's being stonewalled because the commissioners are card-carrying Democrats who have contributed to Granholm's election campaigns.
Wrong, said Mike Bryanton, Ingham County clerk and member of the election commission.
"I am a Democrat and I have contributed to Gov. Granholm, but political affiliation cannot enter into our decisions," he said. "I know Mr. Piche is frustrated, but we're looking only at language clarity and nothing else."
Planning the next step
Piche said he's ready to go once his petition wording is approved. He'll have 85,000 petition copies and he has an e-mail address through which he can send supporters information and online petition forms.
"We've got so many disgruntled people in this state it won't be hard to get the signatures I need in 90 days," he said. (I think he's correct.)
The recall drive comes at a time when polls indicate that a majority of Michigan voters blame Granholm for the poor economy and some recent surveys have her approval rating under 30 percent.
Aside from the election panel, Piche has had his own demons. He shot and seriously wounded an inmate in a prison yard in 1987 to stop an altercation. Piche said he is still suffering post-traumatic stress from the incident 22 years later, and he's on medication to treat severe depression. He's been on medical leave from Standish Maximum Correctional Facility, where he has worked since 1990.
Asked whether his recall effort is a crusade against state government, Piche shakes his head and rolls up his sleeve to reveal the state seal tattooed on his arm. He also sports a skull with a dagger through it, a Statue of Liberty with a flaming flag behind her and a replica of a New York City police badge honoring those who responded to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
He insisted his recall drive is unrelated to saving his job at "Standish Max," which is scheduled to close soon due to state budget cuts. Piche figures when he loses his job at Standish, he'll bump an officer with less seniority at the St. Louis Correctional Facility in mid-Michigan.
"This isn't about my job. It's about standing up for the people who have been killed and will be killed because dangerous felons are being released from prison," he said. "They can't hold picket signs or circulate petitions."
mhornbeck@detnews.com (313) 222-2470
Please forward this to everyone you know in Michigan and post it on all the forums possible!
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