Councilman Hall Survives Election Recount
MIDLAND, Mich. — City Councilman Pam Hall (Ward 1) survived a recount challenge of the 2020 general election on Tuesday. Ms. Hall was sworn in with the rest of the City Council in November, however her general election opponent in the Ward 1 race, Jeremy Rodgers, formally requested a recount due to the election results being so close. The original result of the race had Ms. Hall winning by just 11 votes, 1,362 to 1,351.
Because Ms. Hall’s unofficial margin of victory was less than .5 percent, the Rodgers campaign paid $25 per precinct, or $150, and then another $150 to count the absentee ballots, for the recount.
After the recount, Ms. Hall retains her seat, winning the election 1,363 to 1,354, a difference of nine votes.
“Midland is a great community and we have a long history of integrity in our election process. I want to to thank all of our election workers and both the Midland County Clerk, Ann Manary, and the Midland City Clerk, Erica Armstrong, for their hard work. They did a phenomenal job. I also want to thank the residents of Ward 1 for doing their civic duty and voting. Due to the incredibly narrow margin of the election results, 11 votes or a margin of less than half a percentage point, I am requesting a recount of the vote,” Mr. Rodgers said in a statement announcing the recount request which was sent to the City Paper.
Ms. Hall came under fire shortly after the election, and after Mr. Rodgers announced his intention to request a recall, for bombastic and false comments posted to social media saying that Mr. Rodgers was a white supremacist and of conspiring with the Midland County Sheriff “to do illegal background checks” and of “shameless cheating.”
“Jeremy Rodgers is arrogant, like Trump. It is disturbing our mayor supports him. Several people have approached me about their own interest in Ward 2 over the last couple years I’ve served because of her indifference to protecting citizens,” Ms. Hall wrote, also mentioning Midland Mayor Maureen Donker (Ward 2) and State Rep. Annette Glenn. “People like her and Annette Glenn are extensions of the worst kind of male privilege and do not truly help free other women. They are Stepford Wives, Handmaiden’s Tale.”
Ms. Hall’s comments were widely denounced and criticized. Mr. Rodgers declined to comment in response to Ms. Hall’s posts other than to say they were so absurd, they didn’t warrant a response.
“Privileged arrogant white boys like Trump demand recounts,” Ms. Hall also said. “Women stop enabling these ‘polite’ narcissists, Harvey Weinsteins types, you’re helping provide Shelterhouse more tenants.”
Ms. Hall was first elected to the Midland City Council in 2018, beating Mr. Rodgers by just 28 votes. She is known for her non-traditional views, including numerous bizarre posts on Facebook such as saying she thinks her messages are being intercepted, that psychics help police solve crimes, and that an inter-dimensional race of lizards has controlled the world for thousands of years.
The Midland City Council serves terms of two years.
Michael Westendorf is the chairman and executive editor of Chemical City Paper. As Executive Editor, he leads the City Paper’s news coverage and editorial team.