Signatures are being sought to recall four of the five members of the Exeter Township Board of Trustees.

Debbie and Kevin Halash are attempting to collect enough signatures to start a recall election against Exeter Clerk Christina Bogoski, Trustees Philip Bruck and Anne Kleinow, and Treasurer Tammy Kernyo, after the four elected officials voted in April in favor of a resolution banning Supervisor Bob Queen from township property for any reason, except official meetings.

Following the passage of the resolution banning Queen, the board then voted on a second resolution to create a new township manager position to handle tasks the supervisor could not accomplish from home. Bruck was subsequently named township manager.

The resolution banning Queen says that “several of the Township Board members, residents and taxpayers and township personnel have expressed concern over the erratic and inappropriate behavior of the supervisor."

"The language in the petition states Supervisor Bob Queen did not have an opportunity to review two resolutions, prior to being added to the April 2022 Exeter Township Board Meeting agenda," Kleinow said. "We understand from our attorney, Kerry Bondy, that we have no obligation to give the resolutions to board members prior to the meeting. Therefore, when the motions were made to add the two resolutions to the agenda, they were added without objection. Based on the reasons clearly stated in both resolutions, I had a responsibility to protect the best interests of our residents in Exeter Township. 

"This was a difficult decision, but I encourage residents to read the resolutions and make up their own mind about the rationale for the resolutions," Kleinow continued. "Anyone that is interested in reading the resolutions can obtain a copy of both resolutions at the Exeter Township office."

Queen stands accused of being verbally abusive and confrontational over a dispute with how to preserve a historic barn, and also of intentionally pouring old gasoline from a disused underground storage tank into a drainage ditch. He disputes these allegations.

Last October, Queen hired a contractor to remove a long-disused steel drum underneath the township's old fire station. Queen admits that he made a mistake in how he disposed of the drum, which caused the liquid to be discharged into a ditch along Sumpter Road. But he also said that he thought the liquid inside of the tank was groundwater that had leaked into the container, and not old gasoline.

“We pumped the tank out and (the contractor) removed the tank (that weekend)," Queen said. “The problem… did not show up until Wednesday.”

The gasoline pooled in the crawl space of a nearby home, which had to be abandoned for a number of days, according to an incident report from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

The Down River Hazardous Material Team was deployed to mitigate the spill.

The report from EGLE found that Queen appeared unaware of regulations regarding the safe removal of underground storage tanks. The supervisor also claimed that two tanks were involved, but EGLE and Mannik & Smith Group, the environmental consultancy firm the township hired to conduct soil sample analysis of the site, only mentioned one in their official reports.

Mannik & Smith's report found that the liquid did not penetrate deep enough to contaminate ground water, and there was no evidence of acute vapors. They concluded that further danger to the public is likely only if the contaminated liquid is consumed.

A final assessment of the incident will be submitted to EGLE next fall.

The other incident cited by the trustees in their resolution involves the restoration of a historical barn by the Exeter Township Historical Society. On March 28, Queen allegedly confronted society members over a disagreement regarding their plan to restore the barn. He reportedly claimed that they weren't following their own plan, and that they did not have proper permits for the project.

The resolution disputes Queen's claims, saying that the society had proper permits for the project. It also says that Queen directed profanity towards the society members he confronted, and that similar incidents occurred between him and the organization in two other instances in late March.

“In order to prevent further misuse of township property and misconduct by the Supervisor on said township properties, and for the protection of the public, the other township board members, township personnel and the township at large, effective immediately, the Exeter Township Board does hereby prohibit access and entry onto any township properties or buildings … except solely for purposes of attending duly scheduled township board meetings,” the resolution reads. “Be it further resolved, that effective immediately, Supervisor Bob Queen is hereby relieved of all non-statutory duties which may have previously been granted to him by board resolution including specifically, but not limited to the duty of mowing township owned properties as well as any additional compensation for such mowing or any other compensation associated with such non-statutory duties.”

Debbie Halash says that by banning Queen from township property in the way that the board members chose to do so, "they are taking away the voters' rights."

“We put Bob in there as supervisor," she said. "Four board members put a resolution together eliminating him. (He) has no response, and the voters have no response.

"If they want to get rid of him, they should have done a recall, which is what we are doing now to the four of them."

Kernyo says that while she understands that not everyone will agree on the actions taken by her and her fellow board members, they believe they made the right decisions for the township as a whole.

"My vote on these resolutions was not made lightly, nor was it based solely on the incidents referenced therein," Kernyo said. "These resolutions were drafted under the advice and counsel of the Michigan Townships Association and our township attorney, and I believe it was fitting and proper for me to vote 'yes' to adopt them."

Kevin Halash, who has been a member of various township boards at the request of Queen, resigned from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Property Tax Board of Review the night the resolutions were passed.

The Halashs have 60 days to collect signatures.