City commission recall, Benton Harbor, Michigan (2024)

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Benton Harbor City Commission recall
Officeholders
Duane Seats Ron Singleton Ethel Clark-Griffin
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
25% of voters in the jurisdiction in the last gubernatorial election
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall City Commissioners Duane Seats and Ron Singleton did not go to a vote in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The language of the petitions to recall them was rejected during a clarity and factual hearing held on June 4, 2024.

A separate effort to recall City Commissioner Ethel Clark-Griffin did not go to a vote after the petition was rejected.

Recall supporters

Seats and Singleton recall

Benton Harbor resident Shari Szilagyi filed the petitions seeking to recall Seats and Singleton. According to the petitions, the reason for the recall effort was that Seats and Singleton voted in favor of allowing the creation of a social district in Benton Harbor's downtown.

Clark-Griffin recall

Former Benton Harbor City Commissioner Jerry Edwards filed the recall petition. According to the petition, the reason for the recall effort was that Clark-Griffin had voted against paying Benton Harbor's bills on four occasions since the start of the year.

Recall opponents

Seats and Singleton recall

Seats and Singleton have both said they believe the reasons for the recall effort to be personal.

Clark-Griffin recall

In a statement provided to The Herald-Palladium, Clark-Griffin said, "No Weapon formed against me Shall Prosper! Touch not my anointed and do my Prophet no harm."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan

No specific grounds are required for recall in Michigan. To get a recall on the ballot in Michigan, recall supporters must collect signatures equal in number to 25% of voters in the jurisdiction in the last gubernatorial election. They have 60 days between the collection of the first signature and the collection of the last signature on the petition. Recall petitions are eligible to collect signatures for 180 days.

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.