COLDWATER, MI (WTVB)- A recall effort is underway in Coldwater to recall Fourth Ward City Councilman Scott Houtz, a longtime representative who has served on the council since 2016.
City resident Kyle Wallace formally submitted the handwritten recall petition to the Branch County Clerk’s office, setting in motion a process that could lead to a special election and test the strength of resident dissatisfaction with recent council decisions.
The petition singled out Houtz’s “yes” vote on March 9, 2026, in favor of introducing Ordinance No. 885, a proposed update tied to property maintenance standards that drew sharp public criticism and accusations of overreach from some residents.
That ordinance was tabled and never brought back for a vote.
Houtz, whose current term runs through 2027, has not yet issued a public response to the filing.
Under Michigan law, the recall sponsor must now navigate review by the county Board of Election Commissioners before circulating petitions. For the recall to move forward would require gathering valid signatures equal to at least 25% of the votes cast for governor in the Fourth Ward during the most recent gubernatorial election in 2022.
Supporters of the recall see it as an exercise in democratic accountability, while others may view it as premature given that the controversial ordinance never advanced.
According to the website Ballotpedia from 2010 through 2025 only 17 % of all recalls in Michigan were successful, the numbers are even lower for locally elected officials and school board members where the percentage of successful recalls drops to 13%.
So far in 2026 only 4.1 % of recalls have been successful, the lowest success rate was in 2021 when there were 545 recalls in Michigan with only 4.6% being removed from office.
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