Recall effort against Davison School Board member received over 4K signatures
By TREVOR SOCHOCKI, JAMES PAXSON
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GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan (WNEM) — The recall effort against a local school board member said they got enough signatures to force a special election.
Matthew Smith, the Genesee County Republican Party Chair and Davison School Board member, pled guilty to malicious use of telecommunication services after a Houghton County Clerk said he threatened to kill her dogs. Smith denies he made the threat.
Signatures to recall Smith were being checked by the Genesee County Clerk on Tuesday.
“We did this in the middle of the winter. We did this through the holidays. We did this with short days, short daylight hours for canvassing and collecting. Nobody wants a knock on their door at night, and we know we didn’t want to do that,” said Kevin Usealman, from the Committee for School Board Integrity.
Kevin Usealman and Jenessa Phillips lead the Committee for School Board Integrity pushing for Smith’s recall.
“We have heard from many people that it was Matt’s own words. His media interviews and social media posts mischaracterizing what happened to him in court that led to the outraged, the outrage that pushed this effort over the top,” Phillips said.
The committee needed nearly 3,700 signatures to force a special election. They got more than 4,000. The clerk’s office said they have seven days to count and verify the names.
“This recall is a team effort between the democratic party, between the people that I’m trying to expose for corruption, and everything in between,” Smith said.
The committee said they have signatures from republicans, democrats, and independents who want Smith to resign.
“Grow up, be a man, take responsibility, and resign to save our community from further torment of this trail of moral debris and the cost of an extra election,” Phillips said.
Smith has no plans to do so.
“I’m a fighter, I’m a vocal school board member, and I am gonna continue to fight like hell now more than ever for every single student in Davison, and every single parent for parental rights, like I said, we need fighters now more than ever on local school boards,” Smith said.
The committee hopes to have a special election in May.
Smith previously worked as a freelance reporter for TV5.
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