MARSHALL, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – On Tuesday afternoon, a group of City of Marshall residents and allies gathered in the Marshall Clerk’s office to submit a petition with the hopes of reversing a City Council decision regarding the proposed Ford Blue Oval EV Battery Plant. 

In the beginning of May, the Marshall City Council listened to roughly three hours of public comments in a meeting that lasted roughly eight hours regarding the rezoning of hundreds of acres for the battery plant.  Despite the joint planning commission’s recommendation against the rezoning, the board unanimously approved the request to rezone the land after 1:30 am.

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“This is our third chance to try and get the city residents a voice to decide whether they want 3000 acres of industrial complex – larger than Mackinac Island, 77% the size of the city itself – or not,” Glenn Kowalske said. 

The petition, which was required to meet a 577 person signature minimum, exceeded the number reaching at least 810 signatures according to Kowalske, who helped gather the signatures after the City Council vote. 

“It was disappointing for sure and I think the way it was conducted was disappointing, there should have been a larger venue like the middle school or high school auditorium,” Kowalske said, “Obviously the verdict was not what we wanted, we didn’t expect that the township would vote that way even though the joint planning commission voted against the recommendation 4-2, and the anticipation of that vote is what really kicked off our petition drive.” 

Kowalske explained how the petition drive really began in early May, and after the 11th draft the township members went out with the goal of getting 800 signatures. 

“We wanted a buffer because there could be some signatures thrown out for various reasons,” he said. “We were pretty diligent in checking for people who are registered, making sure addresses were correct, so we didn’t count anyone outside the city.   We’re pretty happy that we have more than enough signatures.” 

The heart of the 127 page petition and list of signatures was a response to the City Council meeting on May 1st that lasted until after 2:30 am. 

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“The petition was to overturn the council’s approval of the rezoning of the property,” he said. “They have two choices now: they can either reverse it themselves or they have to put it to a referendum for the city of Marshall residents.” 

Barry County Resident and advocate against the project, George Hubka, was also present for the submission of signatures. 

“My biggest concern is loss of farmland,” he said as a former farm owner for almost 50 years, “As they pointed out in the City Council meeting, this is some of the best farmland in the state of Michigan would be gone forever now.” 

“And producing batteries for a car that could be made somewhere else on unproductive ground,” he added, “or the recycling of the old GM plant in Lansing, or those places – the brown fields industry.”

Hubka offered his prediction for the land which Ford would occupy for the plant, as it has in many other plants across the state. 

“If you look at all that Ford has done over the years, they’ve left a lot of abandoned buildings,” he said, “and I think this will be one of them.” 

Kowalske, and other members of the “Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite” group now await for the Clerk’s office to substantiate the signatures, and a certificate of sufficiency or a certificate of insufficiency.  If the City Council does not reverse the decision it would likely go to a vote either during a special election or appear on the ballot in the fall according to Kowalske.