Election commission rejects Hamlin recall applications

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — Recall efforts targeting two Hamlin Township officials will not move forward after the Mason County Election Commission rejected the petition language during a clarity hearing held March 31.

As previously reported, recall petitions were filed by Greg Collins against Hamlin Township Treasurer Susan Ptaszenski and Trustee Johnaine Gurzynski.

The Mason County Election Commission — consisting of the Chief Judge Jeffrey Nellis, County Clerk Cheryl Kelly and County Treasurer Andrew Kmetz — conducted two separate hearings March 31 at the Mason County Courthouse

Read previous story here.

According to official minutes, both hearings included presentations from recall petitioner Greg Collins and responses from the officials named in the petitions.

During the first hearing Ptaszenski, Collins provided documentation related to township financial records and questioned their accuracy. Ptaszenski told the commission her name was spelled incorrectly on the petition and stated she has served the township since 2013 with honesty and positive audit results. Commissioners cited concerns including unclear sentence structure and language referencing a time span that covered more than one term of office, which is not permitted under recall rules.

The application was rejected unanimously with all three commissioners voting no.

In the second hearing, involving Gurzynski, Collins alleged the trustee improperly disclosed information from a closed session. Gurzynski responded that no confidential information was breached and said the material discussed had been available to both the board and the public. Public comment included statements supporting Gurzynski and criticizing the petitioner’s conduct at meetings. Commissioners again raised concerns about clarity, particularly punctuation and date references, though Judge Nellis stated he believed the language was clear enough for a defense.

Kmetz and Kelly voted no while Nellis voted yes.

Under Michigan election law, recall petitions must be reviewed by the county election commission to determine if the language is factual and stated with sufficient clarity before they may be circulated for signatures.

Because both petitions were found to lack sufficient clarity, neither recall effort will move forward in its current form.

Though the state uses the term “recall,” the process calls for a special election in which the accused official may also run. Before that can occur, petitioners must gather the required number of valid signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction.

All elective officers in Michigan, except judicial officers, are subject to recall. An official named in a recall petition may continue to perform the duties of the office until the results of a recall election are certified, according to the Michigan Election Officials’ Manual.

The role of the county election commission is limited to determining whether the reasons for recall are factual and clearly stated so both the official and voters can understand the conduct being challenged. The commission does not rule on whether the reasons are justified.

If any portion of the recall language is found to be unclear or not factual, the entire petition must be rejected.

The commission’s decision may be appealed by either the petition sponsors or the officials named in the recall. Any appeal must be filed within 10 days in 51st Circuit Court.

___________________

Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. 

The payment can be paid monthly through PayPal: Click this link.

To sign up for an annual subscription, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources.

For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.

We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.