RIVES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLNS) – Rives Township Treasurer Janina Teske resigned just hours after election officials approved a recall petition against her.
The bombshell comes weeks after the board voted to have Teske pay back $10,900 after a third party determined she was overpaid for work she had done.
Michigan State Police could soon be looking into the payments after a two-to-one vote to refer the case to the agency.
After two turbulent months, the question of who would be Rives Township’s next clerk. It was settled with a unanimous vote.
Back in April, the resignation of Clerk Judi McCord was denied by the board until after the May election.
New Clerk Vercila Hart was sworn in after Thursday’s meeting and she said she’s glad to see a difficult chapter in the township’s history come to a close.
“I think moving forward, having joseph yang as the treasurer and myself, you’ll see a lot of transparency. And I think the board will work together,” she said.
Treasurer Janina Teske was noticeably absent at Tuesday’s meeting.
Earlier in the day, a recall petition was approved that called for her to step down because of a conflict of interest in a vote.
Soon after, she took matters into her own hands and submitted her resignation to the township board.
Trustees then quickly moved to select Joseph Yang as the next treasurer.
Yang, who was the force behind the recall petition against Teske, said he was not expecting to fill her shoes and with so many eyes on the position, he said he hopes to improve the job.
“Number one thing is to be transparent as possible. Discuss the numbers, discuss the pros and cons and leave it all out on the table. It’s not my money, it’s not the board’s money,” he said.
Teske could not be reached for comment.
