Bill Sage has filed for a recount of his Allegan County Board of Commissioners race with Gale Dugan.
He paid $175 a half-hour before the deadline to file, Thursday, Aug. 11. By a 814-778 vote, he lost the race for the GOP nomination to replace outgoing Commissioner Jon Campbell.
Campbell’s district covers the City of Otsego, the Village of Hopkins and the townships of Hopkins, Otsego, Trowbridge and Watson.
Sage said he filed because the results were confusing on election night.
“Two TV channels had me as winning that night,” he said. “When I checked Allegan County records later, I wasn’t.
“Apparently some (absentee voter) ballots weren’t collected or something.”
He said it looked suspicious because after the results were changed for his race, the countywide vote for county clerk did not.
“I don’t exactly understand how the system works,” Sage said. “It was so close I thought it probably warrants a recount.”
Dugan said he had resigned himself over to the loss earlier in the evening.
“I felt I could lift my head high and know I ran the best race I could,” Dugan said.
Even after he saw the results change he knew he needed to rein in his emotions and wait until the county certified the results later that week.
Of the recount he said he didn’t feel it was necessary to file a counter-petition.
“I’m just waiting for the process to work through,” Dugan said.
On Thursday, Aug. 11, county commissioners again discussed appointing a replacement for Campbell, who initially announced he would not run for reelection in order to run for retiring clerk and register of deeds Joyce Watts’ position. After receiving a promotion at his job at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, he suspended his campaign.
That job in Lansing has kept him from attending most board meetings, so he has proposed stepping down before his term is up in December to allow commissioners to appoint a replacement. Commissioners advised Campbell not to do so before the recent primary so as not to influence the election.
Campbell said he now plans to step down before the end of the year but not right away.
He said, “Yeah, I’ve talked with Gale again and he’s still sorting out which boards he’ll have to resign from if he’s elected (or appointed).
Dugan serves on the county’s Board of Determination for the Drain Commission as well as the county’s Board of Public Works and the Allegan County Resource Recovery and Recycling committee. He’s also on the Michigan Boundary Commission.
Campbell said the recount was unlikely to overturn the result, but it was still wise to delay appointing Dugan, who would face no major party challenger on the November ballot to win the county board seat.
Board Chair Mark DeYoung asked that Dugan be invited to the commissioners’ special budget workshop Thursday, Aug. 18.
Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.
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