WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Gary Giguere Jr. on Friday affirmed a June 26 decision by the St. Joseph County Election Board regarding the case of a recall sought of three members of the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education.
In a four-page summary, Giguere sided with the election board in the fact that “each reason for the recall is factual and of sufficient clarity.”
The State Court Administrator’s Office assigned the recall petition language to Giguere after St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman last week said he and judges Jeff Middleton and Rob Pattison have disqualified themselves from hearing the appeal, filed July 6 by board members Waneta Truckey, Carl Barth and Mike Bosma.
Sherrie Nowicki, head of the recently formed group TR Cares, has been instrumental in carrying out the recall procedure. Members of TR Cares are opposed to the board’s March dismissal of three administrators, and have said there were flaws in the evaluation procedures of athletic director Pete Anderson, dean of educational services Kevin Hamilton and middle school principal Bradley Coon.
Nowicki, who cried out of happiness upon hearing news of Gigure’s decision, said she plans to move “full speed ahead” in securing on each of the three recall petitions at least 1,165 signatures from registered voters within the Three Rivers Community Schools boundaries.
In order for the recall to appear before voters in the November election, the signatures must be turned in to the county clerk’s office on or before July 31. Otherwise, the matter will not appear before voters until May next year.
