ALLEGAN — A second meeting of the Allegan County Election Commission to discuss the ballot status of Board Chair Jim Storey is scheduled for next week.
The group will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 16, in the probate courtroom at 113 Chestnut St. in Allegan.
The commission is being asked to answer a request from Storey to be restored to the August primary ballot. Storey withdrew from the race April 26, but claimed in a letter to the commission on April 29 that he did so under duress.
Commission members — Probate Judge and Chair Mike Buck, County Clerk Bob Genetski and County Treasurer Sally Brooks — first met to discuss the issue May 8. The meeting was limited to about 30 minutes, due to Buck’s court schedule.
No decisions were made at the meeting. The commission instead opted to take more time to review information and seek legal guidance.
Attorney Adam Tountas represented Storey on Wednesday. The first question before the commission, he said, was whether the election commission, in fact, had the authority to rule if Storey should be on the ballot.
Tountas argued Storey's withdrawal wasn't "effective" in the first place, because state election law doesn't outline specific withdrawal procedures for county commissioners, despite outlining such procedures for other candidates.
Allegan County Administrator Rob Sarro also spoke at the meeting, saying he was concerned about due process. He offered the county's legal counsel to the commission.
Storey initially filed for re-election April 23, but withdrew his candidacy April 26 after being told, by Genetski, the state directed he be disqualified from the ballot.
Genetski said he was told to disqualify Storey due to unfiled campaign finance reports from his 2015 run for state representative.
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Storey is seeking re-election in District 1 for the Allegan County Board of Commissioners. He was elected to the board in 2012 and has been re-elected five times.
There is one other candidate for the seat. Craig Van Beek, a pastor and president of the Hamilton Board of Education, is running as a Republican.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
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