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ESCANABA -- A third and final Delta County commissioner will have his name appear on the ballot in May, the Delta County Clerk's Office announced late Monday.
A total of 953 signatures seeking the recall of Commissioner Bob Petersen, who serves District 5, were turned into the clerk's office on Nov. 2. The announcement from the clerk's office indicated that at least 775 were valid, meeting the minimum requirement for Petersen's name to be placed on the ballot.
Anyone interested in running against Petersen to represent District 5 must file with the clerk's office by Thursday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. District 5 includes Wells Township and Escanaba's Precinct 4, which is in the northern part of the city.
Petersen was unopposed when he first ran for the commission in 2022. He was elected to fill the seat formerly held by Commissioner Bob Barron that was vacated as a result of county redistricting. Barron remained on the commission, bumping out Commissioner Theresa Nelson, when the two seated commissioners were placed in the same district.
However, Barron's name will also appear on the ballot. The Delta County Clerk's Office announced last month that 1,006 of the 1,235 signatures submitted seeking Barron's recall were valid, only five more than the 1,001 needed to trigger a recall election.
Barron represents District 3, which includes Bark River, Ford River, and portions of Escanaba and Escanaba Township. He is being challenged in May by Myra Jones Croasdell.
Also facing recall is Commission Board Chair Dave Moyle. Of the 823 signatures submitted by recall organizers on Sept. 25, 697 were deemed valid following challenges by Moyle and a thorough review by the clerk's office. Only 666 valid signatures were required to trigger the recall.
Moyle is being challenged in May by Kelli Van Ginhoven, of Escanaba. This will be the second time the two candidates face off for the seat, as Van Ginhoven ran as an independent against Moyle when he was last elected in 2022.