Elections Division to Finish Verifying Recall Signatures Early Next Week

Troy residents may know as soon as Monday whether embattled Troy Mayor Janice Daniels will face a recall on Nov. 6 after the political action committee Recall Janice Daniels turned in last Tuesday.

According to Joe Rozell, director of the Oakland County Elections Division, he and half a dozen staffers have been working diligently to verify each petition since then. By state law, the Elections Division has 22 days from the time the petition are filed to verify the signatures; after that, the mayor has 30 days to contest the signatures.

On Monday, Rozell said he and his staff were in the preliminary phase of the verification process, reviewing the headings on each petition to "make sure the heading contains the language that was approved by the Commission." Rozell said they also verify each petition circulator is a registered voter.

“We’re checking every name to make sure the voter is registered, and we’re authenticating every signature," Rozell said. “We have the seven days from the 12th of June for the preliminary check, and then another 15 days from (Tuesday), but I don’t think it’s going to take 15 days.”

Rozell said he thinks they could be done as early as Monday, though they have until the 4th of July, if they need it.

If 7,985 or more signatures are valid, the recall petition language will be added to the ballot for the Nov. 6 general election.

"It would be a yes or no question," Troy City Clerk Aileen Bittner said. “The law says that if there are more yes votes than no votes, that’s it.”

Bittner said what would happen next, if the mayor is recalled, is tricky.

“According to the charter, in the absence of the mayor, the mayor pro tem assumes responsibilities. Beyond that, the city attorney and I would need to do an analysis to determine what would happen next.”

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Daniels first came under fire in December for her  and has remained the center of controversy after  (a  was later approved), telling the  Gay-Straight Alliance she would bring in an expert to tell them  and writing a lengthy position paper some viewed as .

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