The two latest recall petitions filed against Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad have been rejected by the Berrien County Election Commission. The body shot down petitions five and six on Monday, while the Berrien County Clerk’s office tells us no additional petitions had been filed by Tuesday afternoon. The commission said the language included on recall petitions five and six was not clear. Both petitions said Muhammad should be recalled for voting to increase the city’s water rates. The commission previously said that vote took place during his last term, and therefore, can’t be used as the basis for a recall in this current term. The Election Commission has approved the language on one recall petition, which said Muhammad should be recalled for “voting yes for a state of emergency.” That approved language will remain good through the end of May, but any signatures for a recall have to be collected within one 60 days window. As of Tuesday, no one had picked up the petition forms from the clerk’s office.
