The Power of Recall Elections

Why does it seem like there are more and more efforts out there in recent years to recall elected officials from office? Years ago, you never seemed to hear about recalls. Is it that people are getting more involved in politics, not just locally but nation-wide? Or more because of the economic state? I'd have to think it's a little of both.

Back in 2005, a recall election ripped the city of Marquette apart. It was because of a decision by members of the city commission to terminate the employment of the city attorney without cause. Four members of the commission were targeted to be recalled, they being Mayor Jerry Irby, Mayor pro-tem Sandy Spoelstra, Stu Bradley, and Sue Kensington. Many in support of the attorney were outraged at the decision, which seemed sudden and abrupt. Some claimed that the commissioners had an agenda against the attorney, and once a majority of commissioners supported the decision to terminate her employment, they did just that. Their vote to fire her took place during a meeting on January 31, 2005 and a recall election was eventually held later in the year.

It was a resounding yes by voters in the city of Marquette to recall the four targeted commissioners during the election on August 2, 2005. Whether residents were for or against this particular recall election, it signaled an end to the strife that existed in city politics at that time. Not only could the commission move forward in a positive light, but they could also begin the process to seat new commissioners. Obviously just because those four particular commissioners were recalled, it still took some time for the healing process to complete itself. Nearly seven years later, the troubles during 2005 are gone but I don't think they'll ever be forgotten. You have to believe that those four ex-members of the commission still hear some negativity of their decision all these years later. Some residents may have even boycotted their respective businesses and/or services (a couple of those former commissioners were part of prominent Marquette-based businesses). But in time, I think a large majority of people in the community have forgotten. And when you get a new influx of people into the area, they know nothing of the past troubles that Marquette have gone through. As you can see, the power of recall can have a resounding effect even in a small city like Marquette.

More often than not, when a recall election takes place, those being recalled tend to be ousted from office the majority of the time. A few years back, voters in Marquette Township recalled four members of their township board. Other smaller elections U.P.-wide have resulted in people being removed from their respective boards. This year, three members of the Ishpeming City Council are being targeted for recall. It's because of their unwillingness to support the city's police chief, Jim Bjorne, in purchasing retirement service credit. Bjorne would like to retire due to health reasons, but the majority of the commission would not support his attempts to purchase the service credit. Ultimately, the strife ended up causing him his job, but that story is far from over as he is planning on suing the city of Ishpeming as well as the eventual recall election for the three members of the Ishpeming City Commission. It'll be interesting to see what happens with that in the months to come.

So as you can see within the local area, recalls have been a prominent part of local politics in recent years, and they have proven to be effective. Yet, you have those detractors of recalls who would rather see those individuals targeted for recalls get the chance to serve out their terms, and then get voted our or stay in office. These days it seems, if you make a decision that ultimately upsets a large majority of the population, it could end up costing a person their political job. Recalls are definitely a tough thing for a community to go through, but once they are over, it allows a community to start over and heal. At least that is one positive that a recall is good for.

A Moose Killing

I once thought I saw a moose where I was growing up many years ago. I was probably about 10 years old and riding my bike. One of my usual destinations was at this old abandoned bridge which was pretty isolated and it was very rare to run into anyone else there. I'd always skip rocks or just watch the water flow along and underneath the bridge. I was attempting to ride down this small hill and at the bottom was the bridge. But what I then saw stopped me in my tracks. It was a moose - a large, menacing creature grazing on some tall grass. I was still far enough away that I was in no danger. But still, it scared me silly and I booked it out of dodge. But nowadays, I'm not sure if that event really actually happened. I'm only half-convinced that I saw that moose and it more than likely was a dream. The reason I say this is because there had been no reports of moose being sighted from anyone else in the area. Sure, the area where I grew up was very rural - but there are houses within the immediate area from where I "saw" the moose. It's not like it would've been missed by anyone else driving or walking through. That was the only time I allegedly seen a moose and no one else in the area has ever spoken of seeing a moose - so I am not sure if the animal even exists within the area where I grew up. So you can see why I might be skeptical as to why that event even happened.

The reason why I bring this story up is because a moose sighting created a big stir in one Upper Peninsula community yesterday. Ishpeming, Michigan is a town of about 6,000 people located in the central U.P. A moose and her two young calves were spotted in and around the town. Moose make their appearances from time to time in Upper Peninsula communities so it's not uncommon for these kinds of events to occur. It's not like the area is overran by moose and they are actually pretty rare here. But they are around and when one is spotted, it definitely creates a lot of local buzz. They are amazing creatures but also very large. If they get angry enough, they can easily kill a person. It's something I learned early on from school - that animals such as moose are very unpredictable, especially when around their young. It's best to try and view them from a safe distance and at the very least, leave the scene so as to not disturb the animal. From the sounds of it, this did not happen during the moose sighting in Ishpeming yesterday. And unfortunately, it ended in one moose being killed.

The Ishpeming City Police Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources made a decison to have the mother cow killed after the animal became agitated and stressed from being ran about town. The police claim they were trying to direct all three moose out of town, only to have their efforts hampered by throngs of spectators trying to get pictures of the moose. At the time the police and DNR took the initiative to have the animal put down, the mother cow was separated from her two young. The two agencies claim tranquilizers would not have worked in this situation because the animal was so large and transporting it would've been extremely difficult. The moose was already distraught and they felt the tranquilizers would've only caused it to overheat and die. Also, because it was on the move, it would've been very difficult for a tranquilizer to take effect unless it was completely still. They wanted to avoid a possible safety issue and avoid a moose/human interaction, so they decided to shoot the animal down. That is one decision that is not sitting well with very many local residents today.

The city of Ishpeming's Police Chief is pointing the finger at the public for the untimely death of the moose cow. He blames the public for following the three moose and causing the mother to be ultimately disoriented. Here is a quote from him from the local newspaper: "In the end, all this moose was trying to do was to get away from the people who were chasing it and reunite with its calves," said the Ishpeming Police Chief. "We would not have had to kill that cow moose if the public did not act like the paparazzi chasing it around like it was some type of Hollywood movie star. I may have given the order to shoot it, but I hold the public who were chasing it responsible for its death, and the ultimate deaths of the two abandoned calves that will not survive without their mother." But the public is pointing the finger at the Ishpeming City Police and the Michigan DNR. If the moose was to die anyway, then why not try the tranquilizers. Or simply, let the animal do what its natural instincts allow it to do. I realize there's a chance that it could end up being killed by a car or encountering the public in one of the local neighborhoods, but the animals need to be given their space and eventually they will leave. It has happened in other local communities here, so I don't understand why it couldn't have occured in this instance. Instead, the animal was chased and proded by the police and the DNR. Sure, the crowds of onlookers probably did not help matters, but the police could've done a better job of crowd control. Call in nearby police departments for back-up if that's the case. All in all, this whole situation could've been handled a lot better than it was. Now, it has practically an entire community in an uproar.

This story is even getting attention from one of the major statewide newspapers - the Detroit Free Press. It is currently the top news story on their website. Many people are calling for the firing of the Ishpeming City Police Chief for making this decision and some residents of the town are even going so far as to saying they are embarassed to be living where they live because of what has happened. I am sure those who live in the more urban areas of our state - and if this story catches on nationally - will think we're nuts for making a big story out of this situation while their major news headlines involve murders, the financial crisis, and major accidents. But the truth of the matter is, a story like the moose killing IS a big story around here because murders are rare and other stories you see in major metropolitan areas do not occur. Heck, moose sightings in towns and cities is a rare thing, too. The killing of a moose because it was becoming a "safety issue to the public" is an even more rare event. From the sounds of it, this news story isn't going away anytime soon.

For ongoing updates involving the moose killing in Ishpeming, please visit these local media websites: WLUC-TV6.com and The Marquette Mining Journal .