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The Huron County Election Commission unanimously approved recall petitions against District 1 County Commissioner Sami Khoury, District 3 Commissioner Scott Maust and District 5 Commissioner John Hunt in connection with their votes on a solar zoning ordinance.
Petitions were filed against the three commissioners for their votes to “approve resolution 25-85 on July 8, 2025” that authorized Zoning Ordinance 2024-01 “to allow up to 15,000 acres of industrial scale solar facilities in the 15 county zoned townships.”
Other petitions have been filed against Mary Babcock and Steve Vaughan. Former Commissioner Joe Murphy resigned shortly before a clarity and factuality hearing for a recall petition filed against him.
The purpose of a clarity and factuality hearing is for the election commission to review a petition’s language and determine whether it is factual and clear. The commission consists of Probate Judge Julienne M. Ferris, County Clerk Lori Neal and County Treasurer Sheryl L. Jahn.
The petition seeking Khoury’s removal from elected office is sponsored by Village of Sebewaing resident Travis Albrecht. Albrecht was not present at the hearing. Neither the petitioner nor the elected official named in a recall petition is required to attend a clarity and factuality hearing.
Khoury read a prepared statement before the commission’s vote, saying he voted based on what he believed was best for the county, given the information available and public input.
“I recognize that many residents disagree with my decision. I respect those opinions and remain committed to listening, learning and considering new information as issues continue to evolve,” he said. “Whether we agree on every issue or not, you deserve a commissioner who listens, works hard, and is accountable. I will continue striving to earn your trust every day.”
The commission unanimously approved the petition, finding it to be both clear and factual. The full approved petition language is as follows:
“We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the Village of Sebewaing, in the County of Huron and the State of Michigan, petition for the calling of an election to recall Commissioner Sami Khoury from the office of Board of Commissioners, District 1, for the following reason (s):
“Commissioner Sami Khoury of District 1 voted in favor of Resolution 25-85 on July 8, 2025 to allow 15,000 acres of solar energy facilities in 15 county-zoned townships.”
Both parties have 10 days to appeal the decision to the 52nd Circuit Court.
Khoury indicated he had no intentions of appealing the decision.
The petition seeking Maust’s removal from elected office is sponsored by city of Caseville resident Maggie Eggink. Neither Eggink or Maust were present at the hearing.
There was brief debate over whether Eggink resides in the city or township of Caseville, since the box designating the two was not checked on the petition form.
Huron County Republican Party Chairman Luke Deming, who was at the hearing on behalf of Eggink, confirmed that she resides in the city of Caseville.
Babcock, who was in attendance, questioned whether the petition is considered incomplete since the petitioner failed to check the necessary box and claimed that documents from the Bureau of Elections state that the petition cannot be altered once submitted.
Michigan’s Election Officials manual states that the commission cannot consider revised recall petition language during the same meeting and petitioners must resubmit new language, but only when the commission finds the language to be not factual or unclear.
Jahn said she thought the distinction was “splitting hairs” because both the City of Caseville and Caseville Township are in District 3. Ferris decided to check the box for the City of Caseville, calling the omission a “harmless error.”
The commission unanimously approved the language, finding it to be both clear and factual. The full approved petition language is as follows:
“We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the city of Caseville, in the County of Huron and the State of Michigan, petition for the calling of an election to recall Commissioner Scott Maust from the office of Board of Commissioners, District 3, for the following reason (s):
“Commissioner Scott Maust of District 3 voted in favor of Resolution 25-85 on July 8, 2025 to allow 15,000 acres of solar energy facilities in 15 county-zoned townships.”
Both parties have 10 days to appeal the decision to the 52nd Circuit Court.
The petition seeking Hunt’s removal from elected office is sponsored by Sigel Township resident Steve Guza.
During his statement prior to voting, Hunt said that he had only been serving as commissioner for six months when the board voted on the ordinance and had only heard complaints about soil and water contamination. He added that concern was not raised about the acreage limit until after the ordinance was passed.
Hunt also said that while he agrees the current 15,000 acreage limit is too high and views it as a “grab at property rights,” he wished it would have been brought up sooner so the board could have addressed it.
“I am a strong property rights individual. Whether you own an acre or a lot or 1,000 acres, my feeling truly is: if you want to control it, you really need to purchase it. Otherwise, the owner of it has rights,” Hunt said. “So, whether it comes out to any less than the 15,000 or if it stays at 9,000 or the setbacks change, I have no idea what the future is. In the meantime, it’s going to be up to the voters of the fifth district. If they wish to keep me there, I’ll be happy to stay. If they wish to remove me, I’ll be happy to go. I’ve got plenty to do.”
The commission unanimously approved the language, finding it to be both clear and factual. The full approved language is as follows:
“We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the Sigel, in the County of Huron and the State of Michigan, petition for the calling of an election to recall Commissioner John Hunt from the office of Board of Commissioners, Dist. 5, for the following reason (s):
“Commissioner John Hunt of District 5 voted in favor of Resolution 25-85 on July 8, 2025 to allow 15,000 acres of solar energy facilities in 15 county-zoned townships.”
Both parties have 10 days to appeal the decision to the 52nd Circuit Court.
Hunt indicated he has no intention of appealing.
Organizers of the recall efforts can now begin to collect signatures based on the number of registered voters in each district. Michigan requires valid signatures equal to at least 25% of the votes cast for governor in the official’s electoral district during the most recent gubernatorial election — the November 2022 election.
The District 1 petition will require 494 signatures from registered voters within the district, which consists of Brookfield Township, Fairhaven Township, Sebewaing Township, Village of Sebewaing and Village of Owendale.
The District 3 petition will require 637 signatures from registered voters within the district, which consists of Caseville Township, McKinley Township, Winsor Township, City of Caseville and Village of Pigeon.
The District 5 petition will require 499 signatures from registered voters within the district, which consists of Sigel Township, Verona Township and the City of Bad Axe.
