Pressure Is Working — and This Effort Continues
Saturday, 1/24/26 - 11AM - 2PM
Panera Bread
5119 West Main Street
Kalamazoo MI 49009
Sunday, 1/25/26 - 11AM - 2PM
Panera Bread
5119 West Main Street
Kalamazoo MI 49009
Sunday 1/25/26 - 3PM -7PM
Little Pistol Farms
2335 S Van Kal St
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Monday 1/19
Tuesday 1/20
Wednesday 1/21
Thursday 1/22
Friday 1/23
Saturday 1/24
Sunday 1/25
11AM-5:30PM
DRIVE-UP SIGNING
Stadium and 9th Parking Lot
6430 Stadium Dr
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(Hardings Complex)
Thursday, 1/22/26 - 6:00PM
Planning Commission Meeting
7275 West Main Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(Several attendees have clipboards)
1300 S 8th St
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Monday - Friday 8AM-5PM
Katie Maier
294 Beymoure St
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(Sky King Neighborhood)
Ted & Marie's Colonial Inn
6416 Stadium Dr
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Monday-Saturday 6AM-3PM
Katie Mitchell
10877 Mystic Heights Trl
Mattawan, MI 49071
(Near Stadium & S Van Kal)
Sunday 1/18/26 - 11AM - 1PM
Stadium and 9th Parking Lot
6430 Stadium Dr
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(Hardings Complex)
Sunday, 1/18/26 - 11AM - 2PM
Panera Bread
5119 West Main Street
Kalamazoo MI 49009
Sunday 1/18/26 - 2PM -7PM
Little Pistol Farms
2335 S Van Kal St
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Change is Needed in Oshtemo Township
Through knee-deep snow and relentless cold, an extraordinary number of local residents showed up. Neighbors talked to neighbors in parking lots, on porches, and in driveways. Many shared deeply personal stories of frustration and mistrust.
We didn’t choose this because it was easy. We chose it because change on the township board is desperately needed.
Pressure Exposes the Cracks
Over the last month since the recall started, we watched township leadership rush decisions, push ordinance language, and attempt to get things “on paper” before the May election. Trustees noted they felt the temperature rise at the board table.
Trustees spoke out against the battery project and the way the board has been handling it. They challenged how topics were briefly discussed, deferred, then often not revisited. And they openly questioned leadership about transparency in the decision process.
Last meeting, when a resident repeated concerns already raised from the board, the supervisor repeatedly interrupted him. This pattern of dismissing residents is exactly what we’re fed up with — and it’s something that will only change with new leadership.
Time is on Our Side
From the start, we committed to being transparent with residents. As we approached the May ballot timeline, it became clear that rushing a ballot at all costs would shorten public scrutiny at the exact moment it is having impact on the board. There is also a community cost to being the only question on a ballot - spending is an issue we care deeply about.
Extending this effort is not a setback — it’s an advantage.
More time makes decisions harder to hide. Accountability deepens, and leadership knows the community is watching. With no deadline forcing action before May, there is no reason for important decisions to be rushed—they should be slowed down and worked through diligently by the board.
This effort has already proven that pressure works. Trustees are speaking up, some behavior is changing, and residents are paying attention.
This Is Far From Over
What was built in the dead of winter in a short window showed what’s possible. With more neighbors asking how to help — and a full spring window ahead — it’s clear that a renewed petition effort puts this community in a strong position for the November ballot.
The recall petition window remains open through early June, and we will be reconnecting with volunteers and supporters as we prepare for the next phase. We’re committed to keeping this recall effort going. But it takes both people and resources. Want to get involved? Join the contact list, volunteer to gather signatures, or make a donation at https://recalloshtemo.org
Upcoming Petition Signing Events
About
The Recall
Election
Our tax bills tell a story all by themselves and it doesn't look like this pattern is going to change without a change in leadership.
Oshtemo residents are coming together to demand better leadership in local government.
After years of reckless spending, weak transparency, and concerning land-use decisions — including the push for a large-scale BESS project despite ongoing resident concerns — citizens are taking action.
There are no term limits in local government — but voters decide when enough is enough.
We will soon be collecting signatures from registered Oshtemo voters to recall township board members.
Learn more, volunteer, donate, or ask questions using our online contact form.
Oshtemo residents deserve better leadership. Join the contact list to be notified when the spring window opens.
Enough is Enough.
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Township compensation increases nearing $600,000 in just one vote, including unbudgeted mid-year raises, reclassification into higher municipal pay scales at 100% of new ranges, enhanced benefits, and subsequent Board raises — while Fire Department training budgets were reduced to make the budget numbers work.
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Utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) raising concerns about emergency response readiness, documented fire and smoke incidents in other communities, environmental and water protection, and ordinance drafts wrote to allow siting near homes, farms, and livestock — including a project proposed along S. Van Kal Street.
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Sewer projects imposed, with additional neighborhoods required to connect despite widespread objections. These projects often involve significant connection and assessment fees, leaving residents questioning cost, necessity, timing, and the process used to mandate expansion.
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FOIA requests that several residents report were not fully fulfilled, including written responses from staff stating additional township communication records were not required to be produced. These experiences have contributed to concerns about transparency and access to information.
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Budgeting and capital planning practices, including unusually large year-to-year fund carryovers, a reported $24 million increase in Township assets, and major projects advanced under the assumption that securing partial grant funding justifies significant resident-funded obligations. Residents have questioned whether these long-term commitments are being adequately discussed or consented to.
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Expanded and stricter parking and site rules affecting schools, churches, businesses, and residential properties. Residents view these changes as unnecessary regulatory overreach.
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Expanded sidewalk and snow mandates approved by the Board — even amid public and media pushback — that residents and businesses view as overreach with unclear guidelines and uncapped fines with possible property liens.
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Resident emails and phone calls regarding questions, zoning, infrastructure, and development that residents report were not returned or acknowledged.
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Property assessment classification concerns have also been raised regarding property assessment classifications that residents believe were applied inconsistently across many properties, affecting tax treatment.
Michigan law allows voters to recall elected officials when residents believe trust, transparency, or representation has been compromised.
A recall petition is a lawful civic tool that allows residents to bring important questions directly to voters.
Signing a recall petition:
-
Does not remove any official from office
-
Places the question on the ballot
-
Allows voters to weigh in now, rather than waiting through the remaining years of the Board’s term for major decisions to continue.
Why Are Neighbors Signing Recall Petitions on Oshtemo?
Many residents are just now learning about ongoing Township actions — you’re not alone.
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Nearly $600,000 in Township compensation — including unbudgeted mid-year raises ($100k), reclassification into higher municipal pay scales at 100% of new ranges, enhanced benefits, and subsequent Board raises — while the Fire Department was required to reduce training expenditures by approximately $30,000 to remain within its approved budget.
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Utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) proposed near homes, and livestock — including a project along S. Van Kal Street — raising concerns due to documented fire and smoke incidents in other communities, emergency response readiness, and potential environmental and water impacts.
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Mandatory sewer expansions, with additional neighborhoods required to connect despite objections, resulting in significant connection costs and special assessments for residents.
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FOIA requests that multiple residents report were not fully fulfilled, including written responses stating that additional Township communication records were not required to be produced.
-
Budgeting and capital decisions involving unusually large year-to-year fund carryovers, a reported $24 million increase in Township assets, and projects advanced on the assumption that partial grant funding justifies major long-term resident-funded obligations.
-
Expanded and stricter parking and site regulations affecting schools, churches, businesses, and residential properties — viewed by many residents as regulatory overreach.
-
Expanded sidewalk mandates approved by the Board despite public and media opposition, with unclear requirements and uncapped costs borne by property owners.
-
Resident emails and phone calls regarding questions, zoning, infrastructure, and development that residents report were not returned or acknowledged.
-
Property assessment classification concerns have also been raised regarding property assessment classifications that residents believe were applied inconsistently across many properties, affecting tax treatment.
Michigan law allows voters to recall elected officials when residents believe trust, transparency, or representation has been compromised.
A recall petition is a lawful civic tool that allows residents to bring important questions directly to voters.
Signing a recall petition:
-
Does not remove any official from office
-
Places the question on the ballot
-
Allows voters to weigh in now, rather than waiting through the remaining years of the Board’s term for major decisions to continue.
