A dozen recall petitions against school board members around Berrien County have been filed with the Berrien County Clerk’s office. The petitions target members of the St. Joseph, Watervliet, Niles, and Lakeshore districts. Some were filed March 16, while others were filed Monday. The petitions seek the recall of Watervliet Public Schools Board of Education President Bill Spaulding, St. Joseph Trustee Brett Weir, St. Joseph Trustee Kathy Weykamp, Niles Trustee David Fish, Niles Trustee Kyle Zelmer, Niles Board President Mark Wortham, Lakeshore Board President Jason Beckrow, and Lakeshore Trustee Rachel Wade. Beckrow and Wade each have three recall petitions filed against them, while the others all have one. In the Lakeshore cases, it’s alleged Beckrow and Wade are serving terms beyond when they’re supposed to, and also that they should be removed for supporting mask rules. All of the other recall petitions are over school district mask rules. There were multiple filers across the dozen petitions. The next step is for the Berrien County Election Commission to hold clarity hearings on the language of the petitions.
