State board clears recall petition against Grand Traverse County prosecutor

The state board’s approval of the recall petition against Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg moves the fight from Lansing into the county’s criminal courts, where plea deals, sentencing decisions and victim cooperation could all feel the pressure first. If organizers can gather the required signatures, the question could go before voters this fall, creating uncertainty for an office already handling a heavy caseload with limited staff.

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the petition on June 5 after first rejecting an earlier version on May 21, saying the language was not clear enough and was factually incomplete. The revised petition, filed by Brenda DeKuiper, was found factually sufficient at the board’s June 5 meeting. Under Michigan law, recall petitions must be signed by registered and qualified electors equal to at least 25% of the gubernatorial vote in the district, and supporters have been told they would need about 14,000 valid signatures to force a recall vote in Grand Traverse County.

The campaign took shape publicly at a Traverse Area District Library meeting in Traverse City on April 27, where about 50 people gathered and speakers criticized Moeggenberg as soft on crime. DeKuiper said the effort began after her son was killed in a 2024 car accident and she objected to the plea deal in that case. Andrea Flowers said she was blindsided when the charge in her 4-year-old granddaughter’s sexual-abuse case was reduced from first-degree criminal sexual conduct to a lesser assault charge. The petition language also points to a March 20, 2025 reckless-driving case involving a fatal crash and a June 13, 2025 sexual-assault case.

Moeggenberg has pushed back, saying the criticism reflects misunderstandings about how sentencing works and that much of it is governed by legislative guidelines rather than a prosecutor’s personal discretion. She has warned that a recall campaign centered on plea deals and abuse cases could discourage sexual- and physical-abuse victims from coming forward. She has also said her office is already strained by caseloads and limited staff.

Moeggenberg has served in the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office since 1998. She was chief assistant prosecutor from 2013 to 2018 and was appointed prosecutor in December 2018 after Bob Cooney left to become a judge. If recall organizers clear the signature hurdle, Michigan elections law says the county clerk must certify the minimum number of signatures within five days of a written demand, and if the petition ultimately reaches the required threshold, the filing official must call the recall election.