No recall of fair board members

Three members of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair Board survived a recall attempt.

Tony Hochstetler, Gary Clark and Tricia Ulsh were targeted for their part in the October dismissal of former fair manager Missi Tefft. During the Fair Association’s annual meeting Monday, an anonymous, paper vote was taken to determine the trio’s fate.

Though “yes” votes in favor of recall exceeded “no” votes, none received the minimum number of votes necessary to trigger the recall. Fair board president Keith Bower said the association is comprised of 274 members. For the recall to take effect, a minimum of 137 affirmative votes were required.

Vote totals were 93 yes to 59 no for Hochstetler; 89 yes to 69 no for Clark; and 90 yes and 61 no for Ulsh.

The vote took place following lengthy conversation from association members on both sides of the issue.

Tefft, a 54-year-old Nottawa resident, was promoted to manager in May 2021.

Her annual salary was about $50,000.