Warren political turmoil: Mayor faces recall over land bank dispute

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Warren's new mayor is at odds with the city council over a proposal to create a land bank in the city that would enable it to purchase houses and vacant lots.

Mayor Lori Stone's inaction on the proposal, which was unanimously approved by the local government, is now the motivating force behind a recall effort.

That's because it cost the city a million dollars, council members say.

"Government moves fast when you have an approved agreement by City Council, and it goes to the mayor‘s office, and she had 96 hours to take action," said Warren Councilman Jonathan Lafferty. "If she didn’t like it, she could’ve vetoed it."

The proposal cleared the council in August. Stone didn't respond fast enough, allegedly leaving the city a million dollars short and without the desired land bank.

Stone said she did not veto the proposal because she still had questions about the impact of the land bank.

"I believed that we could have conversations and I needed to have answers to what the fiscal impact is," she said.

It's a moment of Déjà vu for residents who may remember recent rivalries between ex-Mayor Jim Fouts and the former city council.

"It’s an unfortunate return to divisive politics in Warren," said Lafferty.

The two sides became embroiled in disagreement, leading to multiple efforts to remove Fouts from office. Stone took Fouts place after he left office due to term limits imposed by the council. 

In the latest conflict, a citizen has filed a petition this week to begin the recall process against Stone. She called the proposal a distraction.

Supporters of the effort must get roughly 13,000 valid signatures in order to force a special election to recall the mayor.