Four Republican County Commisioners recalled in Michigan due to their opposition to DEI

[Landslide Lyndon]

I don't get it. Blue avatars told me that DEI is electoral poison in middle America.

https://twitter.com/Taniel/status/1788044129663852646

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Delta was Trump +26 and Ottawa was Trump +21, fyi.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Delta was Trump +26 and Ottawa was Trump +21, fyi.

Another Red Mirage cometh?

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

But, but, the polls?!?! What's happening? Why do Democrats keep winning elections?

There must be DEMONrat rigging at work!

[Illiniwek]

Amazing result! Ottawa Impact is a vile organization that have done their best to ruin Ottawa County. I'm not sure any Democrat has ever locally represented Holland in any office. Hopefully this is a clear sign that the County as a whole will reject Ottawa Impact moving forward. So happy but this is only the beginning!

[RI]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for leading the effort to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

Moms for Liberty supporter overdosing on copium

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for voting to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

…. DEI is a subset of ethics

[RI]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for voting to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

…. DEI is a subset of ethics

The ethics commission wasn't eliminated due to DEI, but because the Commission Chair wanted to take the heat off their personal relationship with an attorney they wanted hired by the county, plus another half-dozen shady things the Commission was doing.

This and other fighting between the County Commission and the ethics commission are discussed here: https://www.dailypress.net/news/local-news/2023/03/delta-county-board-reaffirms-its-ethics-policy/

[Never Made it to Graceland]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for voting to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

…. DEI is a subset of ethics

The first article I found said this:

It was one of several actions the board took in January 2023, the very first meeting after nine members endorsed by Ottawa Impact, including Ebel, won election to the 11-member county commission in November 2022. Among the changes were substituting Ottawa County’s vision statement from “Where you belong” to “Where freedom rings,” eliminating the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department, and firing the former county administrator and hiring former GOP U.S. House candidate John Gibbs as a replacement. Gibbs was later terminated by the board for “gross misconduct” and has since filed a lawsuit against the county.

Not one of RealisticIdealist's best comments.

[RI]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for voting to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

…. DEI is a subset of ethics

The first article I found said this:

It was one of several actions the board took in January 2023, the very first meeting after nine members endorsed by Ottawa Impact, including Ebel, won election to the 11-member county commission in November 2022. Among the changes were substituting Ottawa County’s vision statement from “Where you belong” to “Where freedom rings,” eliminating the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department, and firing the former county administrator and hiring former GOP U.S. House candidate John Gibbs as a replacement. Gibbs was later terminated by the board for “gross misconduct” and has since filed a lawsuit against the county.

Not one of RealisticIdealist's best comments.

You are literally quoting progressive advocacy group Michigan Advance. Not a reflection of general sentiment. Again, the local coverage:

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - Delta County voters recalled three of five county commissioners by wide margins Tuesday after they voted to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo last year.

ESCANABA, MI— Three Delta County commissioners were recalled by wide margins Tuesday. Robert Barron, David Moyle, and Robert Petersen were targeted for recall after they voted to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo in 2023. She had publicly questioned the ethical behavior of some members of the board.

That recall was filed after Barron, Moyle, and Petersen voted in February to fire then-County Administrator Emily DeSalvo, who was critical of a number of the commission’s recent choices. She also accused the three commissioners of trying to limit her from completing duties she said were part of her job.

The group also accuses the commissioners of acting unethically, and for their own self-interest. In our interview, Croasdell levied the latter specifically against Barron. “You can tell right from the get go that he was just in it for himself. It was, I guess you’d have to see him at a board meeting.”

An example she gave was a proposal over the transfer of land in the county from one township to another. The Daily Press reported in May that the act would make it easier for owners of that land to contract it out to solar farm companies due to a difference in zoning laws. Barron was censured for a conflict of interest, but was still allowed to vote on the issue. The measure ultimately failed 4-1.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for leading the effort to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

Yeah I suspected there was more to this than opposing DEI. Even in Minneapolis I bet that a majority would support eliminating the city's DEI department, although granted that's due to it being used for very blatant grift recently, and it sounds like what was going on here was kind of the same thing in the opposite direction.

Also found some local coverage and it sounds like the recalled commissioners themselves are the ones blaming DEI: https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2024/05/08/now-results-coming-delta-county-board-recall-elections

“There was very poor voter turnout. The general public doesn’t realize the woke agenda that the newly elected have, which will be put into play very quickly,” Barron said. “I’ll be running in the August primary, and we’ll see if the people of Delta County want that mob-rule type of governance or do they want the constitutional representative republic, which is the rule of God’s law.”

....doesn't sound like a credible person (or for that matter one who should be in office, even one that minor, so good thing this occurred.)

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

Moms for Liberty supporter overdosing on copium

Local media is corroborating it. One link above and here's one on the Ottawa County one: https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/lakeshore/ottawa/ottawa-overhaul/lucy-ebel-ousted-from-ottawa-county-board-of-commissioners-in-recall-vote

More than 3,000 people signed a petition to recall Ebel over her vote supporting the removal of Ottawa County's Health Officer Adeline Hambley.

Ebel was the only Ottawa County commissioner who had a recall petition receive enough support to trigger an election. She claimed the effort was racially motivated.

Basically they were recalled for those reasons, and now are trying to claim it was all because of DEI and the "woke mob" instead of the actual reasons.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

The Delta County commissioners were not recalled for opposing DEI; they were recalled for controversially eliminating their county's ethics commission, suppressing information about a Conservation District contract, and firing their county administrator. None of the local coverage mentions DEI at all.

The Ottawa County commissioner Lucy Ebel was recalled for voting to fire Ottawa County's Health Officer for unclear reasons. She was part of an effort which eliminated the county's DEI Department, but that effort had majority support by the commission and the other supporters were not targeted for recall.

…. DEI is a subset of ethics

The first article I found said this:

It was one of several actions the board took in January 2023, the very first meeting after nine members endorsed by Ottawa Impact, including Ebel, won election to the 11-member county commission in November 2022. Among the changes were substituting Ottawa County’s vision statement from “Where you belong” to “Where freedom rings,” eliminating the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department, and firing the former county administrator and hiring former GOP U.S. House candidate John Gibbs as a replacement. Gibbs was later terminated by the board for “gross misconduct” and has since filed a lawsuit against the county.

Not one of RealisticIdealist's best comments.

You are literally quoting progressive advocacy group Michigan Advance. Not a reflection of general sentiment. Again, the local coverage:

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - Delta County voters recalled three of five county commissioners by wide margins Tuesday after they voted to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo last year.

ESCANABA, MI— Three Delta County commissioners were recalled by wide margins Tuesday. Robert Barron, David Moyle, and Robert Petersen were targeted for recall after they voted to fire County Administrator Emily DeSalvo in 2023. She had publicly questioned the ethical behavior of some members of the board.

That recall was filed after Barron, Moyle, and Petersen voted in February to fire then-County Administrator Emily DeSalvo, who was critical of a number of the commission’s recent choices. She also accused the three commissioners of trying to limit her from completing duties she said were part of her job.

The group also accuses the commissioners of acting unethically, and for their own self-interest. In our interview, Croasdell levied the latter specifically against Barron. “You can tell right from the get go that he was just in it for himself. It was, I guess you’d have to see him at a board meeting.”

An example she gave was a proposal over the transfer of land in the county from one township to another. The Daily Press reported in May that the act would make it easier for owners of that land to contract it out to solar farm companies due to a difference in zoning laws. Barron was censured for a conflict of interest, but was still allowed to vote on the issue. The measure ultimately failed 4-1.

All of the things I quoted in that article are factual. Pretty cheap to dismiss the source offhand because it doesn't suit the argument you're trying to make here.

And again their firing of the county administrator was part of the same anti-DEI push as she objected to eliminating that department.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Local media is corroborating it. One link above and here's one on the Ottawa County one: https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/lakeshore/ottawa/ottawa-overhaul/lucy-ebel-ousted-from-ottawa-county-board-of-commissioners-in-recall-vote

That doesn't really disprove that voters were fed up with their obnoxious anti-DEI push, does it? I mean it definitely wasn't the only factor but RI made the claim that it had "nothing to do" with Ebel being recalled.

[7,052,770]

Compromise: the Biden voters in the counties recalled over DEI backlash (and probably other reasons some too), and the Trump voters recalled for other reasons.

[Agafin]

There's no way anyone in America is recalled over DEI issues (other than far left cities maybe). It's literally become toxic everywhere, even elite universities like MIT are ditching them.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

There's no way anyone in America is recalled over DEI issues (other than far left cities maybe). It's literally become toxic everywhere, even elite universities like MIT are ditching them.

Nope. MIT and other schools have ended "diversity statements" on applications because there wasn't really an effective way to check their veracity. They did not end DEI initiatives.