Group Forms Website to Recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

A group has formed to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels, who first came under fire in December for her and has since remained the center of controversy after (a was later approved), telling the Gay-Straight Alliance and writing a lengthy position paper .

"We believe that the citizens of Troy must take our city back from this dangerous, polarizing ideologue," reads a post on the group's website, www.recalljanicedaniels.com. The group has officially submitted petitions for approval by the Elections Board.

Daniels said she is not concerned about the recall effort.

"I don’t mind it," Daniels told Patch Friday evening. "It’s an unnecessary distraction to the city, but I’m not worried about it."

Last month, a poll by Main Street Strategies commissioned by the website Michigan Liberal showed , though a recall petition .

"We're in the process of setting the recall up and composing recall language," a representative for the group wrote in a recent email to Patch. On its website, the group details why it plans to recall the mayor:

On Nov. 14, 2011, Janice Daniels assumed the office of Mayor of Troy, MI. In that time, she has:

1. Refused to swear an oath to the city charter, claiming that it is a "whimsical" document;
2. Exposed Troy, MI to national embarrassment by slandering the gay community on Facebook, apologizing only after being forced into it; 
3. Attempted to derail the Troy Transit Center project by allowing an "expert" extra time to speak at council even after the "expert" was caught making racist comments;
4. Violated City Council's rules of procedure in order to publicly attack City management through a 20 minute screed;
5. Hampered the day-to-day operation of City business by claiming that mail addressed to the City is private, and can be opened solely by her and; 
6. Further attacking the gay community by declaring the homosexual lifestyle "dangerous."

The group declined to provide further information to Patch until it is "prepared to present petitions to the public."

Meanwhile, Daniels says she will continue to focus on her duties as mayor.

"I want to stay focused on keeping taxes low and reducing regulations," she said. "I’m interested in bringing a level of community participation to the legislative process through outreach and various activities."

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