James Godbout Recall, Westland, Michigan (2017)

Westland City Council recall
Officeholders
James Godbout
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort in Westland, Michigan, to recall City Councilman James Godbout from his position was initiated in March 2017. The Wayne County Election Commission approved recall language for circulation on March 23, 2017.^[1][2]

Recall supporters[edit]

City resident Steve Boron submitted three petitions to the election commission. Each petition made a separate charge against Godbout. The following is a list of charges made against Godbout by Boron:

• Godbout's vote in support of increased water rates and delinquency on his own water bill
• Godbout's vote in support of a lighting assessment for the city
• Godbout's vote in support of a $10 million bond issue to fund smart meter upgrades

Election commissioners reviewed and approved the water rate petition for circulation because this was the first petition submitted by Boron.

Response by James Godbout[edit]

Godbout told The Detroit News that he was late on his water bill due to medical expenses for his son. He said that he worked with the city to make payment arrangements.^[1]

Godbout also made the following statement about the recall:

“	They will try to get their signatures. If they do, I'll run in the fall and they won't be able to recall me for the rest of the term. When I'm out in stores or a restaurant, I get a lot more positive feedback from people than negative. I'm staying positive and will keep doing what I've been doing.[2][3]	”
—James Godbout (2017)

Path to the ballot[edit]

See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan

The election commission held a clarity hearing on March 23, 2017, and approved Boron's first petition for circulation. Boron's petition was valid through September 19, 2017. Boron was required to submit approximately 5,500 valid signatures within 60 days of the first day that the petition is circulated.^[2]

Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms City council recall Westland. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also[edit]

• Recall campaigns in Michigan
• Political recall efforts, 2017
• City council recalls

External links[edit]

• City of Westland, Michigan

Footnotes[edit]

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