Good Sunday morning, folks.
I hope your Fourth of July was enjoyable and, especially if you’re one of the lucky people who thought ahead and took the entire week off instead of dealing with a holiday Tuesday, relaxing- yes Our house celebrated in the most American way we could imagine: skipping the fireworks for nachos and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, given the humidity.
But the fact that the legislature is out for the summer does not mean that the political news stops. And if you’re back from vacation or just spent the last week offline (which, I don’t necessarily blame you), here’s what you missed this week in Michigan politics.
Former Michigan Attorney General candidate Matthew DePerno, GOP state presidential candidate, appears on stage at the Michigan Republican Party convention in Lansing, Michigan on February 18, 2023.Ben Orner | MLive.com
A decision on whether to indict a handful of individuals involved in the alleged seizure and tampering of a tabulating machine in the wake of the 2020 presidential election could come soon, according to a June 6 filing with the Court of Claims of Michigan.
Between them? Former Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, former state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, and attorney Stefanie Junttila.
The filing notes that “the charging entity is ready to make a charging decision” and comes after the special prosecutor overseeing the investigation, Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson, asked the Circuit Court of Oakland a declaratory decision on whether someone could legally have a vote tabulating machine.
Hilson’s request to interpret state election law comes after Junttila, through an attorney, upheld Hilson’s misinterpreted statute when it ruled it was illegal for a person to have access to a voting machine .
However, when he spoke to MLive this week, Hilson said a decision would eventually come at court speed.
“Ultimately, we’re waiting for a court decision on some legal issues before we go any further … I don’t have a timetable for that,” he said. “It’s closer than when we started, but it’s the best I can say just because I don’t control the speed of the track.”
And now, something completely different: Pure Michigan will stop national ads after a surprise budget cut
Ottawa County District 2 Commissioner Lucy Ebel during a meeting at the Ottawa County Administration Building in West Olive on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Ebel is part of Ottawa Impact, a group conservative who campaigned for individual freedom and parental rights. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)
Cory Morse | MLive.com
A petition was launched to try to recall Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel, who is part of the ultra-conservative group, Ottawa Impact, which has a majority on the board.
Park Township resident Larry Jackson filed the petition Monday, July 3, at the Ottawa County Clerk’s office. He stated that Ebel’s “loyalty is to the Ottawa impact that helped her, not to the people she serves.” Ebel is the county’s second district commissioner, representing parts of Holland Township and Park Township.
Ottawa Impact candidates ran on social issues, personal freedom and parental rights and criticized a county health director’s mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nine of the 10 Republicans on the 11-member board were endorsed by Ottawa Impact. Seven Republican incumbents, considered more moderate than political newcomers, were defeated.
Before the petition can circulate, however, its language will undergo a clear hearing before repeal advocates can seek signatures to put the question on the ballot, according to the Ottawa County Clerk’s office.
No date has been set.
Interested in this? Try this: ACLU argues West Michigan school district censored LGBTQ books
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to the media after she and representatives of General Motors and the United Auto Workers announced that GM will invest more than $1 billion in its Flint assembly plant and Flint Metal Center to prepare for these sites for the production of next-generation gasoline heavy vehicles. -service trucks on Monday, June 5, 2023 at Flint Assembly, GM’s oldest assembly plant in North America. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Tabitha Davis, 33, of Marshall, was sentenced last week to four months of probation and a suspended 20-day jail sentence for threatening violence against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s attorney general said Monday. Dana Nessel, in a statement.
That case was heard in the 54-A District Court in Lansing, which further ordered Davis to complete recommended mental health treatment and a substance abuse evaluation.
Davis was accused of sending a message threatening the governor through Whitmer’s constituent services website. Davis admitted to sending the message and initially claimed it was protected speech, Nessel said.
“Threatening public officials with violence to do their jobs cannot be tolerated,” Nessel said. “This conduct constitutes terrorism and my Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit is uniquely qualified to prosecute these crimes and hold those who commit them accountable.”
In other news…: Cities call it public safety, but new rules put Michigan’s homeless in the spotlight
And that’s a wrap for this week in politics: short, sweet and to the point.
If you haven’t had enough of the news yet, try checking out this week’s other highlights, including a report ranking Michigan’s roads, the fact that 45% of the nation’s tap water it may contain some kind of PFAS and like a Michigan gravel pit turned into an RV complex.
See you next time.
More from MLive
Hair braiding camp teaches young black women about entrepreneurship and self-love
It’s time to remove the protective sandbags from the shores of the Great Lakes
Michigan authorities are prosecuting the governor’s third alleged signature scammer
Four generations under one roof: families living together are on the rise
Consumers Energy to test burying power lines to bolster grid reliability
