Less than a week after successfully ousting Highland Park’s seven-term treasurer, a prominent local activist is now turning his attention to expelling another of the city’s elected officials – Mayor Glenda McDonald.
Robert Davis recently submitted language to recall McDonald, telling Metro Times she’s “incompetent and unqualified” to lead the cash-strapped city.
The Wayne County Election Committee is meeting Thursday to determine if the language of the recall meets the standards to begin the process of removing the first-term mayor.
Davis submitted three reasons to recall McDonald: She uses on-duty police officers to chauffeur her around, she allegedly recommended that the city council approve a water agreement that resulted in an increase in residents’ utility bills, and she declined to veto the water agreement.
Under state law, the recall language must be clear and factual. It does not have to prove criminal wrongdoing.
If the committee approves the language, Davis has 180 days to submit enough signatures to place the recall on the November ballot. Under state law, Davis must collect signatures equal to 25% of all votes cast for governor in Highland Park in the 2022 election. That amounts to roughly 500 or so signatures.
Davis, who lives in Highland Park, says voters are angry that the city reached an agreement with the Great Lakes Water Authority to end a years-long dispute over millions of dollars in unpaid water bills. As a result of the pact, Davis says residential water bills have skyrocketed.
“The citizens are up in arms,” Davis says. “My water bill doubled.”
Davis also took issue with McDonald using on-duty cops to chauffeur her around at a time when the city has a police shortage and a high crime rate.
“Our cops need to be patrolling our streets and keeping our community safe, not chauffeuring around an elected official,” Davis says.
Davis decided to pursue the recall because he says McDonald is the wrong leader for a city that desperately needs competent governance.
“She has no experience leading a government, and it is glaringly obvious that she is in over her head,” Davis says. “She wanted the position, not because she is qualified, but because she wanted the notoriety, fame, and attention.”
Ironically, McDonald ended up running unopposed in November 2022 because Davis had filed a lawsuit that resulted in her opponents being removed from the ballot for failing to properly fill out their Affidavit of Identity to run in the non-partisan race.
“She would not have won the election had her opponents not been removed from the ballot,” Davis insists.
McDonald declined to address the recall effort or the allegations leveled against her, saying her attorney advised her that she should wait until after the commission makes its decision.
“The only thing I would need to defend is what is approved,” she tells Metro Times.
She adds that “allegedly Mr. Davis is who Mr. Davis is. I don’t have anything to say about him.”
No doubt Davis has been a perpetual headache for Highland Park officials. In addition to getting Treasurer Janice Taylor-Bibbs booted from office and the mayoral candidates removed from the ballot, Davis successfully sued the city over its controversial marijuana ordinance. In July 2023, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge agreed with Davis that the ordinance violated the Michigan Zoning and Enabling Act because city officials failed to get approval from the city’s Planning Commission to create eight zones where cannabis businesses were permitted to open.
Davis alleged that some city officials created the ordinance to help supporters open a cannabis business in the city.
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