Township Supervisor's Liquor License Recommendation Sparks New Round of Recall Petitions
*COMSTOCK* — A recall campaign that had previously stalled is getting fresh momentum after four Comstock Township board members voted to recommend revoking the liquor license of their own supervisor, Ben Martin, in a move that has reignited tensions over the question of whether elected officials should have any involvement in alcohol production and sales.
The "Four Recalls for a Better Comstock" campaign now includes messaging about the liquor license dispute as primary reasoning for the recall effort, targeting clerk Nicole Beauchamp and trustees Kristie Cherry, Terry McIver, and Bob Pratt.
The Liquor License Dispute
On March 24, the four officials voted in favor of recommending that Michigan's Liquor Control Commission rescind township supervisor Ben Martin's liquor license for his business, Soil Friends. The company produces and sells hard cider — a fact that became the topic of much debate this year when a complaint highlighted a decades-old township ordinance.
The 1983 Comstock Township ordinance says elected officials cannot be "interested" in the production or sale of alcohol. Martin, who owns Soil Friends Hard Cider Co. that operates out of the township, is an elected official.
During the vote, community members shouted and booed at the board members who voted against Martin, with many claiming the move was an insult to small business owners.
"The need to replace some of our leadership I think is very evident," one neighbor said.
"You want somebody in there that loves our town, loves the people, and wants to represent them and right now what we have is not playing out like that," another neighbor said.
Previous Recall Efforts Expired
This isn't the first time residents have tried to recall Comstock Township officials. In November, the community started a campaign to recall four members of the township board after they voted yes on a motion to end a moratorium on large-scale energy projects.
Organizers confirmed that all of the signatures collected in that campaign to recall clerk Nicole Beauchamp and trustees Kristie Cherry, Terry McIver, and Bob Pratt have since expired. Now the group is gathering a new round of signatures to recall the same four officials — this time, driven by a different dispute.
"I think the wrong way to handle disagreements over these types of things," one neighbor said.
Recall Process and Timeline
According to Michigan law, a valid recall petition must be approved before it can begin gathering signatures. Once the necessary amount of signatures are collected, the petition must be filed within a certain time frame. A successful petition triggers a recall election, in which the official who is up for recall runs against a candidate selected by the opposing party.
Based on the results, the official is either recalled and replaced by their opponent, or they retain their seat. The official remains in office until the recall vote is decided.
In this case, all four officials would run in a recall election if the petitions were successful. According to online political encyclopedia Ballotpedia, the nationwide success rate for recall efforts was around 10% in 2025.
Broader Trend of Recall Campaigns in Michigan
The Comstock recall dispute is part of a growing trend of recall campaigns across Michigan communities, particularly those dealing with data center proposals and zoning decisions.
In Mason City, Mayor Russ Whipple and Council Member Elaine Ferris are facing a similar recall effort over their votes on the M3 Zoning Ordinance that would allow for data centers. Ferris said the recall effort feels like a slap in the face after 17 years of service.
"I was citizen of the year in 2016. I've ran the farmers market as a volunteer 14 weeks every year eight hours a day for 21 years," Ferris said. "The whole point was I was voting for the ordinance that was protecting the citizens of Mason."
In Comstock, the liquor license dispute has given new legs to a recall campaign that had been dormant, showing how quickly community tensions can escalate when fundamental questions about governance and ethics are at stake.
What Happens Next
If the recall petitions are approved and enough signatures are collected, the Comstock Township clerk and four trustees would face recall elections. All four officials would automatically appear on the ballot against candidates selected by the opposing party.
The recall process has strict deadlines and legal requirements, and officials have options to appeal if they believe the process is flawed. But with community sentiment clearly in favor of recalling the officials who voted against supervisor Martin, the political landscape in Comstock Township is rapidly shifting.
The "Four Recalls for a Better Comstock" Facebook page is now featuring messaging about the liquor license dispute as the primary driver for the campaign, with organizers actively seeking new signatures to bring this renewed effort to fruition.
Background: The Supervisor Under Pressure
Martin is currently facing pressure to resign from his role as supervisor over a 1983 ordinance that says officials cannot have any interest in alcohol manufacturing or sales. The township board has discussed whether he should resign, and ultimately voted to recommend the revocation of his liquor license in a 4-2 vote.
The board members who voted against Martin — Beauchamp, Cherry, McIver, and Pratt — are now facing the consequences of their decision. They've been booed and shouted at by community members, and their actions have sparked a recall campaign that could fundamentally change the composition of the township board.
"I hold an elected position and they cannot remove me without a recall," a Comstock trustee said in a previous interview about his conflict with township leadership.
The tension between Martin and his board colleagues has been building for some time, and the liquor license vote appears to have been the final straw that pushed the recall campaign back into the spotlight.