(Saugatuck Twp., MI - WHTC News) - It’s now a state matter.
The Michigan Bureau of Elections, after not finding evidence of tampering that would have prevented a recount of a two-vote-margin passage in May of a half-mill tax increase in Saugatuck Township, has now asked the state Attorney General’s office to fully investigate the actions of the clerk’s offices in both the township and Allegan County to determine if there were any criminal violations of Michigan’s election laws. A requested recount was rejected by the county Board of Canvassers because of mishandled ballots.
The millage was to fund a legal war chest for the township to battle developer Aubrey McClendon in the courts on tax and zoning disputes stemming from pristine dune land at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. Even though McClendon and the township have since reached a tentative agreement about those disputes, a lawsuit filed by those seeking a recount, backed financially by McClendon, to have the election results thrown out goes to court tomorrow.
There has been no public comment made by clerks involved in the state investigation – Jane Wright of Saugatuck Township and Joyce Watts of Allegan County – or by their top deputies who are also a part of the probe.
-Gary Stevens, WHTC/WYVN News
