After delay, recall challengers sworn in as new Delta Co. commissioners

ESCANABA, Mich. (WJMN) — The three winners of Delta County’s commissioner recall election were sworn into office Monday morning.

The incoming district 3, 4, and 5 winners (Myra Croasdell, Kelli van Ginhoven, and Matthew Jensen, respectively) stood before County Clerk Nancy Przewrocki at the Escanaba City Hall and recited the oath,

The oaths were made to a full room of witnesses—at the event were sitting commissioners Steven Viau and John Malnar, family of the commissioners, and activists who helped elect them.

The event bookends over a year of community activism that began when then-commissioners David Moyle, Bob Barron and Bob Petersen fired the county’s administrator at a meeting in February of 2023, after she gave an 11-minute speech accusing the three of unethical behavior.

After the ceremony, Commissioner van Ginhoven told Local 3 she was ready for their first meeting Tuesday night.

“Tomorrow will be a fairly easy meeting for us,” said van Ginhoven. “It’ll be a reorganizational meeting where we will pick the chair, the vice chair of the board… I expect it to go very well.”

van Ginhoven said she has full confidence in whoever is voted in as chair, and is looking forward to supporting the county’s staff and employees, saying “I think once they understand that we value them as assets and not liabilities, our county will benefit from it and be off to a great start.”

On the issues that led to and developed after the recall effort, like management of the Conservation District and airport, Commissioner Jensen said he plans to take it one day at a time. “Those items that are in progress are already getting fixed, or have already been fixed, so that’s not something I’m going to delve into right off the top.”

Jensen added that he is hoping the new board will be forward-looking, saying, “part of that is we also need to move forward, and not dig into the past.”

Sitting Commissioner Steven Viau commented on the new board makeup, saying “I won’t change anything, the way I operate. I listen to my constituents, bring stuff forward and fight for them. I want to continue doing that with this board, whoever else sits beside me.”

Viau said he didn’t have many complaints about the previous board, but did think the commissioners did not handle themselves correctly online. “Social media, I think, was our downfall—and I kind of stayed off it… when you get caught up in a battle between your constituents, and the way social media works, it’s a loss every time.”

Last week, the Oath of Office ceremony was delayed for two of the new commissioners after one republican on the local Board of Canvassers and an alternate questioned the election results’ accuracy, citing a “suspicious ratio” of votes between two districts.

Canvassers also told Local 3 that LeeAnne Oman, the alternate for Sema Deeds, told the others that she would not be voting to certify despite the fact that canvassers had not yet begun their task of canvassing the vote.

The other canvassers and the county clerk found no tangible evidence of fraud or tampering, even going as far as calling it a “perfect” election.

The election was finally certified Friday evening when Republican canvasser Sema Deeds resumed her role and sided with the Democrats. The fourth canvasser, who is also the chair of the county’s Republican party, abstained from the vote but did sign the documents alongside the others.

The first meeting for the new board is Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. in the board room at the Delta County Service Center.

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