County clerk receives petition to recall White Pigeon Village President

The process to recall White Pigeon Village President Tyler Royce is moving forward after a 126-signature petition was turned in last week.

St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald said the next step involves a process to determine sufficiency of the petition papers. If sufficiency is determined, Oswald will then have to verify that the signatures are of registered voters who live within the village limits.

Oswald has until Wednesday to complete the sufficiency process and Sept. 7 to conclude the validation process. She noted the petition was turned in Aug. 3 and exceeded the minimum number of 108 signatures.

The recall effort is being spearheaded by White Pigeon resident Jerry Kash. He alleges Royce has compromised ethics, and used municipal equipment and employees to perform personal work beyond the realm of village-related duties.

Royce, who has served as White Pigeon’s village president for almost six years, declined to comment on the latest development.

Kash, 73, owns a used-car dealership along U.S. 12.