LANSING — A small-town police chief said she'll push ahead with an effort to recall Clinton County Prosecutor Anthony Spagnuolo after the Board of State Canvassers for the second time rejected language it deemed unsuitable to be circulated on recall petitions.
The elections panel on Monday, Aug. 24 unanimously rejected two versions of petition wording submitted by Ovid Police Chief Lisa Rousseau regarding an affidavit Spagnuolo submitted in a civil case arising from a police department employment matter.
Neither version was sufficiently clear enough for voters to understand, the board said.
Rousseau said she is undeterred.
"I'm not going away, I'll continue to do it," Rousseau said after the meeting. "My situation is a little technical in that I have to explain a lot for people to understand about an affidavit. It's really frustrating."
Spagnuolo had only a few words to say about the recall campaign on Monday.
"A 4-0 vote against the recall petition speaks for itself," the prosecutor said.
On Monday, an attorney for Spagnulo told the board both proposals were "neither clear nor factual."
Board members essentially agreed, citing issues with the word "me" in both examples and a reference to Spagnuolo by last name only in one of them. They said neither version was sufficiently clear about why Spagnuolo should be recalled and cited opinion, instead of facts.
Monday's meeting was the second time the Board of State Canvassers had rejected recall petitition language submitted by Rousseau.
The recall effort at least partly grew out of a lawsuit filed last year by a former Ovid police officer who claimed Rousseau lied in an affidavit about the circumstances surrounding the officer's resignation. The suit was thrown out by a judge, but not before Spagnuolo submitted an affidavit that Rousseau claims was false.
Spagnuolo in the affidavit denied talking with Rousseau about officer Jaclyn Allen's case, when, in fact, he did, Rousseau said. And he did nothing after being alerted to that in December, she said.
Rousseau said she'll need to gather 11,000 to 12,000 valid signatures during a 60-day period to get a recall election scheduled, if she is able to get language approved by the Board of State Canvassers. She aimed to get the matter on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, but if a recall election comes later than that, she can use the primary election as an opportunity to collect signatures at polling sites, she said.
Here are the two versions of proposed petition language reviewed by the board on Monday:
No. 1: "Spagnuolo swore in an affidavit that he never discussed former City employee Jaclyn Allen's MCOLES record with me, despite evidence documenting the conversation, and refused to correct his affidavit after notice. The affidavit was used in litigation, implicating Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(b) (dishonesty/misrepresentation) and 8.4(c) (prejudicial to justice)."
No. 2: "Tony Spagnuolo signed an affidavit stating that he never discussed the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) separation affidavit or separation-of-service record for Jaclyn Allen with me. Mike Nichols, my attorney, emailed Spagnuolo, advising him that telephone records existed. A separate email to MCOLES documented the substance of that conversation. Despite receiving notice of this, Spagnuolo refused to correct, amend, or withdraw his affidavit. Spagnuolo's affidavit has been relied upon in civil litigation against me. The affidavit was used on March 26, 2026, and again in an appeal filed July 20, 2026. This violates Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 8.4. Misconduct. It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to: (a) violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another; (b) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or violation of the criminal law, where such conduct reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer; (c) engage in conduct that is a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct or other law; (d) state or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official; or (e) knowingly assist a judge or judicial officer in conduct that is a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct or other law."
Contact Ken Palmer at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: State board rejects recall petition language for Clinton County prosecutor