Recall petitions rejected

A three-member panel decided Tuesday that wording of petitions seeking the recall of four White Pigeon Township Board members lacked clarity.

As a result, the petitions to recall supervisor Don Gloy, treasurer Trudy Gloy, and township trustees Jean Tefft and Vince Schroen were rejected.

The matter was fielded by the St. Joseph County Election Commission, whose members – Probate Court Judge David Tomlinson, county clerk Lindsay Oswald and treasurer Kathy Humphreys – agreed language in the recall petitions was insufficient and centered primarily on conjecture.

Over the course of nearly an hour, the three reviewed petitions and fielded comments from attorney Lance Thornton, representing the team of township officials. A pair of township residents, Anita Casada and Paige Willis, spearheaded the recall petitions turned in June 16 and also addressed the commission Tuesday.

In defending the four township officials, Thornton said reasons cited for the recall were stated more as opinions and less as factual.

Casada disagreed with Thornton’s opinion of the documentation and indicated she will not appeal the Election Commission’s rulings but plans to submit recall petitions with revised language to better satisfy criteria sought by the Election Commission.