Residents of Green Charter Township in Michigan have ousted their entire local government following the government’s approval of a contentious green energy project linked to a Chinese company.
Jason Kruse, the township’s newly elected supervisor, emphasized the significance of this event.
“Everybody out there across America needs to step back and understand that you have the power. It’s still there,” he said. “Government works and your vote matters — for sure at the local level — and it’s super important,” Kruse told Fox News.
Kruse further elaborated on the importance of public officials being accountable to the people they serve.
“We really need to be reminded about that every so often, that public officials work for the public,” he added. “It’s very nice to see that we can add to that understanding.”
The catalyst for this dramatic political upheaval was the approval of a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant by Gotion High-tech Co., a Chinese battery company. This decision, supported by Michigan Democrats including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was met with strong opposition from the township’s residents. They raised concerns about the project’s location on agricultural land and the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Kruse, leading the charge against the board’s decision, recounted the community’s pleas for reconsideration.
“We were asking, ‘please, listen to us, please,’ we’re begging them,” he said. “But it was a moot point with them.” He spearheaded a grassroots campaign to recall the entire seven-person board, citing their refusal to consider public opinion and the possibility of undue influence from the company.
The recall was successful, leading to the election of a new board, with Kruse winning 70% of the vote. The new board’s first task is to review the Gotion deal, reflecting Kruse’s commitment to responsible growth and national security.
“We have a battle in this country [between] entrenched, privileged people in power against grassroots people who want their country to remain in their hands,” Kruse stated. “And nothing could be so evident after the fight that we’ve had here and the alliances that we’ve created throughout this fight.”
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