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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
HAMLIN TOWNSHIP — The Nov. 3 recall election involving Hamlin Township Trustee Johnaine Gurzynski has been canceled following Gurzynski’s unexpected death Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Mason County Clerk Cheryl Kelly announced Friday that she had canceled the call to election for the trustee position. Gurzynski, 68, had been scheduled to face challengers Pat Barcelli and Cynthia Tanner, both running with no party affiliation, in the recall election.
Because Gurzynski’s death created a vacancy on the Hamlin Township Board, the recall process involving her seat ends and the trustee contest will not appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to Kelly.
Michigan election law requires the township board to appoint someone to fill a vacancy in an elective township office. The Hamlin Township Board has 45 days to make the appointment. Kelly said the deadline is Monday, Nov. 9.
Johnaine Gurzynski
The person appointed must be a registered and qualified elector of Hamlin Township. Under Michigan election law, a qualified elector must meet the constitutional qualifications to vote and have resided in the township for at least 30 days.
If the township board does not fill the vacancy within the required 45-day period, Kelly is required to call a special election. Kelly said that election would be held May 4, 2027, and Hamlin Township would be responsible for the costs associated with the election.
Under state law, a person appointed to the trustee position would serve the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends Dec. 1, 2028. If the position instead goes to a special election, the person elected would serve the remainder of the term.
Kelly said her office is working with the Michigan Bureau of Elections regarding the change and its impact on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The recall effort against Gurzynski began earlier this year when Hamlin Township resident Greg Collins filed a recall petition. Revised language filed in May alleged that Gurzynski disclosed deliberations from a closed session during the Jan. 15 township board meeting involving township attorney Jacob Witte and a consent judgment involving Six and Stones LLC.
The revised petition ultimately received sufficient valid signatures to place the trustee position on the Nov. 3 ballot. Kelly issued the official call to election in August.
The separate recall election involving Hamlin Township Treasurer Susan Ptaszenski is still scheduled for Nov. 3. Ptaszenski, a Republican, is being challenged by Tim Walden, who is running with no party affiliation. The ballot also includes the township clerk position, with Republican Sheila Genter as the only listed candidate.
Gurzynski was a 1975 graduate of Mason County Central High School and West Shore Community College.
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