Adams Township clerk, supervisor to face challengers in recall bid
ADAMS TWP. — Adams Township Supervisor Mark Nichols and Clerk Stephanie Scott will each face a challenger during a May 2, 2023, recall election.
Suzy Roberts has filed to run against Scott; Randy Johnson — a current trustee on the township board — has filed to run against Nichols.
Roberts and Johnson filed as non-party affiliated, Hillsdale County Chief Deputy Clerk Abe Dane stated in an email.
Election law does not allow for challengers to file under the same political party. Scott and Nichols, both Republicans, were automatically included in the election, a previous statement indicated.
The Hillsdale County Clerk’s Office announced previously that enough signatures have been gathered to warrant a recall election of Adams Township Supervisor Mark Nichols and Clerk Stephanie Scott.
More:Adams Township supervisor, clerk to face recall election
The formal recall petition began earlier this year when Gail McClanahan filed recall language which was eventually approved by the Hillsdale County Board of Election Commissioners.
McClanahan spent most of the summer gathering necessary signatures on the recall petition and 314 signatures were ultimately validated to recall Nichols. McClanahan only needed 264 signatures.
Against Scott, McClanahan gathered 350 signatures for her recall of which 329 were validated.
Neither Scott nor Nichols opted to withdraw from the May recall election when notified by the county clerk’s office.
The Hillsdale County Board of Election Commissioners approved the recall language filed by Adams Township resident Gail McClanahan in May, which stated that in October 2021 Scott was stripped of her ability to administer elections in Adams Township by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
More:Effort underway to recall Adams Township clerk, supervisor
The SOS stated at the time that Scott did not allow preventative maintenance on voting equipment and stated in emails that Scott was unwilling to complete required certifications of Public Accuracy Testing of voting machines.
That controversy escalated when Scott was given until Oct. 27, 2021, to turn over the township’s ballot tabulator after it was discovered it was missing. She did not comply with the demand, resulting in the Michigan State Police obtaining a search warrant to seize the device from Adams Township Hall in early November 2021.
Hillsdale County Clerk Marney Kast’s office was then tasked with administering elections in Adams Township and it later seized other election materials including ballots from the November 2020 presidential election from the Adams Township Hall out of security concerns.
In the recall language filed against Nichols, McClanahan stated that on Feb. 14 Nichols voted against spending $5,500 for a new ballot tabulator to replace the equipment seized by the MSP as part of its criminal investigation.
Nichols publicly supported Scott’s actions last fall, stating he felt Scott was following the law in what she had done by safeguarding Adams Township voting equipment and materials.
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Scott’s attorney, Stephanie Lambert, previously said she had concerns with the recall language, as Kast — now responsible for administering elections in Adams Township — sits on the county’s board of election commissioners and has been involved in the ongoing saga since the beginning.
“Scott was elected to serve Adams Township as township clerk and has always acted in accordance with her duties and responsibilities imposed upon her by law on behalf of citizens who elected her,” Lambert said.
— Corey Murray is a staff writer for The Hillsdale Daily News who can be reached by email at cmurray@hillsdale.net. Follow him on Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Adams Township Clerk, Supervisor to face challengers in recall bid
