Shelby Taxpayers Celebrate As Stathakis Recall Dies; Accusations of Fraud By Petitioners Surface

When the recall against Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis 

died a well-deserved death, so did the demands and political agendas of 

the people and groups who embraced this special interest power grab.

(CLICK ON PHOTO FOR A LARGER VERSION)

“Ding dong the stupid recall is dead!”

All Shelby Township taxpayers, at least the majority of us who believe in, and support, the current conservative policies of Supervisor Rick Stathakis, Treasurer Paul Viar and Trustees Flynn, Filar, and Wozniak, are happily singing this song.

The death of the Stathakis recall was headline news in all local newspapers.  We have included links to four of these articles below:
• Here is how the MACOMB DAILY reported the death of the recall.
• Here is the same story as reported by the ADVISOR SOURCE NEWSPAPER.
• Here is how the SHELBY-UTICA NEWS reported the story.
• Finally, here is how Save Shelby’s recall failure was covered by the SHELBY-UTICA PATCH.

This defeat means Shelby taxpayers will be spared the enormous expense of unnecessarily spending THOUSANDS of our precious tax dollars to promote the selfish recall agenda of special interests seeking influence, control and power.  It is also a huge victory for DEMOCRACY against those seeking an iron-fisted dictatorial control over our township.

The much ballyhooed recall attempt against Supervisor Rick Stathakis died on June 17, 2011 when it was proven that those seeking to oust Supervisor Stathakis fell significantly short of the minimum number of signatures required to force an election.  A review of the petitions showed that the Save Shelby gang, despite everything they told the press, did not have what they claimed to have.  In fact, the recall addicts had far less than expected — and far less than what is minimally required to force a recall election on their terms.

The failed recall was discussed at the Tuesday, June 21st meeting of the Board of Trustees.  Supervisor Rick Stathakis, who for weeks stood silent about the recall, opened the meeting with some brief remarks about it.  Here is some of what Supervisor Stathakis said:

Our review of petitions showed that 80% of the signatures were collected by Nightingale family members, members of the township police union and casual workers hired from cities like Detroit, Troy, East Lansing and Warren.
 
I asked Practical Political Consulting, an independent firm in Lansing, to examine the petitions.  Their review concurred that petitioners fell short in both the number of signatures collected, and the number of valid signatures required.

Mark Grebner, President of Practical Political Consulting, said: “We found hundreds of fraudulent signatures, as well as other problems.” 

The way this recall campaign was handled raises serious concerns.  Here is one e-mail I received yesterday:

Mr. Stathakis - Several months ago I was approached outside a local grocery store and asked to sign a petition to reinstate the DARE program (editor’s note: the DARE program was never eliminated by the Board).  I was handed a clipboard and when I looked at the paperwork I realized that it was a petition to recall you and others.  Had I not looked at the paperwork I would have unknowingly signed the recall petition.  I realize that maybe this is not such a big deal but I wonder how many others might have signed without realizing what they really were signing.  This concerns me and I just though that you should know.  Sincerely, Helen Reeves

Editor’s Note: Supervisor Stathakis then asked Fire Chief Gene Shepherd to tell residents about something the Fire Department experienced concerning the recall.  One petitioner approached a resident and said that if you support the fire department you need to sign the recall.  The Chief made it crystal clear that the Fire Department DID NOT condone or support the recall, and found this petitioner’s actions disgraceful.

I have been advised that Macomb County Clerk Sabaugh’s office contacted Practical Political Consulting yesterday {JUNE 20TH} and requested a copy of their report.  I authorized a release of that report and it was sent to Mrs. Sabaugh’s office.

Editor’s Note: If you would like a copy of the report to read for yourself, go to www.rickstathakis.com and click on the “news” tab for an explanation of each of the challenged signatures.  Very interesting!

I want residents to know that I will not allow political attacks or recall threats to stop me from serving you, the people of Shelby Township.  Your Board of Trustees will stay focused on the issues of our township: Finances, public safety and quality of life.

===== 

What Mrs. Reeves points out in her e-mail is how a petitioner used misleading information to try and “sell” the recall.  Why?  Could it be that the zoning excuse was not enough to garner signatures?  Could it be that those behind the recall had other, more personal, issues driving their interest?  Could it be that the special interests pushing this recall had one thing in mind, POWER, and to them the ends justified the means? Could it mean that the hired circulators did not understand the issue and were saying anything just so they could increase the signature count and pad their paychecks?

Mark Grebner, the President of Lansing-based Practical Political Consulting, was called upon by Mr. Stathakis to verify the petitions.  Even though the Clerk is supposed to verify signatures, Mr. Stathakis made the correct move in hiring Grebner’s firm.

We would NEVER trust Clerk Kowal.  Why?  Because Terri “Bykowski” Kowal was a publicly-linked “friend” of the Save Shelby recall Facebook page, as reported in the January 21, 2011 INSIDE OUT.  She chose sides in this fight and her son (Jayson) and daughter-in-law (Misty) both circulated recall petitions.  If you doubt us, check out the two petitions above (click the image for a larger view).

As if the Reeves e-mail isn’t bad enough, we also received a note from Joanne Brazel-Wheatcroft.  Joanne is the township resident who was kicked off the Save Shelby Facebook page after she began challenging the recall.

Here is Joanne’ message:
I was in a hair salon in Shelby Twp yesterday and was shocked to find out how many residents don't know why there is a recall petition out there and whats going on in their own community, it makes me sick!!! Of course they knew about a recall and 1 lady said she signed the petition but didn't know what its really about (a police officer told her he would lose his job if we didn't recall our supervisor), I filled her in and now she wants her name off the petition, makes me wonder, just how many more people like her signed the stupid thing?!

I spent 3 hours in the salon and happened to chit chat with quite a few people, I filled them ALL in on the truth!  I wonder how many others have signed the petition under false pretenses??? 

The recall fanatics tried hard, no one can dispute that.  They were willing to say anything and pay any price to accomplish their mission.  However, when all was said and done truth ruled the day and Shelby Township taxpayers, and our cherished democracy, are the BIG WINNERS.

Just as there are recall winners, there are also losers.  We have outlined the individuals and groups who lost in the “Shelby Recall Graveyard” photo appearing at the top of this post.  Some of these recall addicts are actually suggesting that they won.  They have belittled those who view this as a defeat, going so far as to quote Mark Twain: “reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Since they mentioned Mark Twain, the following Twain quote more accurately depicts the recall: “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble.  It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” 

The Inside Out’s List of Shelby Township Recall Losers:

Trustee Lisa Manzella.  Perhaps more than anyone else in the township who was publicly associated with the recall, Trustee Lisa Manzella had the most to lose — and lose she did.  She can try to deny the loss, claiming credit for what she considers a victory, but come on...really?  Shelby Township residents aren’t that dumb Lisa, no matter what you say about us on Facebook!

Following months (if not years) of pumping up the recall campaign — speaking about it, cheerleading for it, posting about it, advocating for it and raising money to support it, this loss poured a bucket of ice-cold water on Manzella’s heated and nasty recall rhetoric.

As a result, Manzella’s credibility (what’s left of it anyway) is melting away faster than the Wicked Witch of the West at the end of the Wizard of Oz.

“Ding dong the stupid recall is dead.”

Faced with such a defeat you would think that talk of recall would subside.  However, Mrs. Manzella is trying to pump up talk of yet another recall.  You heard correctly.  Lisa Manzella is openly encouraging another recall.  Check out this exchange posted on the Save Shelby Facebook page on June 21, 2011.

As you will see from the date and time stamp of this post, Mrs. Manzella began this discussion during the Board meeting. This means she was using a township laptop computer to conduct Facebook business during a township meeting.  Is it professional and appropriate conduct for an elected official to post on Facebook when she is supposed to be engaging in township business?

Oh the irony of it all!  Back in our May 17, 2011 INSIDE OUT editorial, we predicted that these people, if they did not succeed in their attempted power grab, would try to do the whole recall thing over again.  Lisa Manzella is obviously so crazed that a majority residents didn’t buy what she and her recall addicts were selling that she is still out for blood.

EDITOR’S NOTE: By the way, in case you are wondering, Manzella’s notation “2Fb”, as defined by the urban dictionary, stands for two faced bitch, someone with two personalities.  Used more to describe girls rather than boys.  OR, if you prefer to use internet slang the term “2Fb” stands for: Too Fucking Bad!

Trustee Lisa Manzella’s self-serving posts on Facebook and other websites have proven her motivations.  Not only that, but her arrogant disregard for our township exposed a much darker side of the whole recall campaign.

Lisa Manzella was in her glory days when the Stathakis recall petitions were filed.  But, as Bruce Springsteen says, “Glory days, they’ll past you by, glory days, glory days.....”  I guess, now that the recall is dead, the glory days are gone.

Here is what Trustee Manzella posted on the Shelby-Utica Patch website after Supervisor Rick Stathakis filed his lawsuit claiming the recall was invalid because the petitions were submitted after the 180-day deadline:

Hey Lisa, you are right when you mention Skip and Linda Maccarone, the Nightingales, you and (you forgot to mention) outsiders hired to work from Detroit, Warren, Troy, East Lansing and Clinton Township.  However, instead of pointing fingers of “blame” we prefer to think of it as giving credit where credit is due! 

Then there is this Facebook gem.  Read along and follow the logic:

Very interesting!  One day (May 26) Manzella is criticizing Mr. Caradonna (the developer of Shelby Woods North) and calling him a puk (we think she meant to write “puke”).   Then one day later, May 27th, Manzella wants to call off the dogs.  Doesn’t this exchange seem rather bizarre? 

Since the Shelby Woods North excuse is what allegedly motivated resident Tom Delise to file recall petitions in the first place, why the sudden change of heart by Manzella?  Could it be that, as Manzella herself wrote, “he [Caradonna] donated a substantial amount of money to the recall effort, funds that went to the company hired to circulate petitions” and it is not good strategy to attack a financial contributor?

Given that this recall failed miserably, and that residents have grown tired of the whole recall rampage lately, you would think that talk of recalls would fade.  Yet, as she commented during the June 21st Board meeting, Trustee Manzella couldn’t help but lash out against Supervisor Stathakis once again.  It is obvious that this defeat has hit her very hard — it is a personal defeat.  Yet, she persists in her condemnation of Supervisor Stathakis at meetings and on the Internet.

Afterwards, one Inside Out reader sent us this e-mail message: “Trustee Manzella’s actions have really grown tiresome.  People are sick of what they are seeing and how she is trying to go after other Board members.  If this is the best Lisa can offer to our township, then she should do us all a favor and RESIGN tomorrow.”