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Ex-councilman questions election

ESCANABA — Escanaba city council members praised the work of new City Clerk Phil DeMay at the council’s regular meeting Thursday, but a former council member ousted on Nov. 5 had a different view of the election and the recount that followed.

By city charter, the city clerk must give notice of city council election results and the council itself must approve a resolution approving the election outcomes as certified by the Delta County Board of Canvassers. Because Nov. 5 election was the first managed by DeMay in the city, Council Member Peggy O’Connell took the opportunity to note how close the initial results were with the results of a recount held Monday, paid for by former council member Ronald Beauchamp.

“Very good job. I understand we had a recount and it was like spot on except for a colored pen used on … one of the absentee,” O’Connell told DeMay Thursday.

Because the tabulating machines used by the city cannot read red ink, the use of one voter’s red pen meant Beauchamp and Tyler DuBord each received one vote less than had initially been reported. The discrepancy was found.

The single vote was not enough to change the outcome of the election. Beauchamp lost his bid for reelection, along with incumbent council member Michael Sattem, and DuBord and fellow newcomer Karen Moore took the two open seats.

Despite not being on the council any longer, Beauchamp attended the council meeting Thursday and spoke publicly about what he alleged was mishandling of ballots during the recount proceedings.

“Ms. O’Connell brought up the recount and praised the clerk’s office, so I thought I’d step up the podium and let everyone know that it didn’t go as smoothly as most people think,” said Beauchamp.

Beauchamp alleged the first bag of ballots brought out for the recount had had its security tag replaced sometime between election night and Monday’s recount. He also claimed another set of ballots was brought forth with a single ballot outside of the locked and secured bag.

“It was found under the machine the night of the election after everything was bagged up. So, it wasn’t as well as it could have been,” said Beauchamp.

The council approved the resolution approving the election outcomes unanimously.

Also during the meeting, the council:

– Held public hearings and adopted two ordinances amending the to the city’s zoning to allow for storage units in light and heavy manufacturing zones.

– Postponed making changes to the city’s participation agreement with the Michigan Municipal Employees Retirement System (MERS). The changes were presented as a result of City Manager Patrick Jordan’s new contract, signed Nov. 11, which includes a $12,500 (10 percent of salary) contribution to a 457 deferred compensation account. The proposal was postponed at the request of DuBord, who said he had not yet seen Jordan’s new contract and wanted to review it before making changes to the MERS agreement.

– Approved retaining Pearson Asbestos and Abatement, Inc. of Escanaba to review the city’s wastewater plant for lead, asbestos, and cadmium. The review, which will cost the city no more than $6,000, is being conducted to encourage lower and more accurate bids from contractors working on renovations at the plant.

Water and Wastewater Superintendent Jeff Lampi said, due to the building’s age, there is a substantial amount of lead paint present and there may be asbestos in the floor tiles.

– Held the first reading of an ordinance correcting a clerical error in the city’s existing wind energy ordinance. The existing wind rules were approved by the council as “Chapter 21,” however, there was already a chapter 21. The ordinance will move the rules to “Chapter 22.”

– Went into closed session to meet via conference call with the city’s dark store case attorney and to bring the two new council members up to speed on the issue. The meeting included representatives from the county and from Bay College, which are also both affected by the dark store lawsuit between the city and Menards.

– The consideration of part of a city-owned parcel to a resident was removed from the agenda, as the council felt there was not enough information available to discuss the matter.

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