Lucy Ebel Recall Petition Approved
The recall petition against Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel has been approved and is moving into a signature collection phase. At the clarity and factual hearing, the three-member Election Commission determined the petition was both clear and contained statements of fact. It is now up to the public to determine if the statements of fact are true and worthy of recall. Members of the public have the right to sign the petition, but have a duty to be informed.
At the clarity and factual hearing, Attorney Sarah Howard spoke on behalf of the petitioner Larry Jackson. Howard reminded the commission that it is their job to determine if the petition is clear and contains statements of fact.
Brendon Muir spoke on behalf of Lucy Ebel. Muir argued that the petition was not clear, pointing to numerous grammatical errors, and a confusing explanation of the reason for recall. “We have to understand that the people reading this petition are not reading every meeting minute, and not investigating for three or four hours the words in this petition. It must be easily understood by them. For someone to go through this petition and understand all of it, they would have to read multiple court filings, multiple meeting minutes, and go through the Ottawa County website. It is not an easy task to do.”
Nevertheless, the three-member Elections Commission did not agree. Ottawa County Treasurer Amanda Price stated, “I find the language clear and of factual content.”
Ottawa County Probate Court Judge Mark Feyen stated, “I’ve seen petitions that are a lot worse than this. There is kind of a reasonableness standard for clarity, and that is, it doesn’t need to be perfectly clear in everyone’s opinion, but it should be reasonably clear with the understanding that these petitions are just written by members of the public.”
Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck referred to two example petition cases and then stated, “I think in both of these cases, it sort of puts that assumption back on the voter [determination of truth]. Again, when citizens have the right to a recall, to allow that voter to ascertain certain things, and I; based on this, and based on the language that I read, I believe that it holds true to the statute in terms of its clear and factual nature.”
The petition states, “On February 28, 2023, Commissioner Lucy Ebel voted for a motion to correct the previous Board of Commissioners December 13, 2022 Resolution that appointed Adeline Hambley as Administrative Health Officer for Ottawa County. Commissioner Ebel voted for the motion after Ms. Hambley challenged in Court the Commissioners designation of her status as Interim Health Officer.”
That is all the information given on the petition. Here is more background information to facilitate understanding.
On December 13, 2023, Commissioner Philip Kuyers of the previous Ottawa County Board of Commissioners made a motion to appoint Adeline Hambley as Ottawa County Administrative Health Officer contingent upon;
approval by the Board of Commissioners;
confirmation by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that she has the required education certifications and work background; and
successfully passing the County’s background check process.
The motion was approved, but the resolution did not match the meeting minutes. The resolution omitted the first contingency. On February 28, 2023, Gretchen Cosby made a motion to correct the resolution so that it accurately reflected the motion that was passed. Commissioner Ebel voted in favor of this motion which is the entire basis for her recall.
The activist Left is upset over Adeline Hambley’s status as Health Officer and is retaliating against Ebel. On January 3, 2023, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners passed a motion which appointed Adeline Hambley as Interim Administrative Health Officer.
This decision has been challenged in court. What is interesting is that Sarah Howard, the attorney who spoke on behalf of petitioner Larry Jackson, is the same attorney representing Adeline Hambley in the ongoing case against Ottawa County regarding her status as Health Officer.
Now the recall petition against Commissioner Ebel will move into a signature collection phase. As a member of the public, it is important to understand that Commissioner Ebel did not break any laws. She did not act immorally, and she is carrying out her duties as Ottawa County Commissioner. The activist Left is targeting her simply because they do not like how she has voted. In fact, Ebel’s vote corrected the historical record.
As citizens, we have the right to vote, but we must understand it is our duty to be informed. We must not simply sign a petition to please a stranger who may be advancing ulterior motives. This petition represents a very low bar in the standard to recall an elected official. Do we really want to go there?