A sewer project that divided Ontwa Township has apparently cost four of five members of the board their jobs.

According to unofficial results, Supervisor John Brielmaier, Clerk Paula Ralph, along with trustees Nathan Brousseau and Norman Krupp have been successfully recalled.

John Bossler defeated Brielmaier 1,023-709 for the supervisor position, while Teri McNaughton defeated both Ralph and Shasta Blankemyer for the clerk position.

The treasurer race was the tightest of the night as current treasurer Meryl Christensen defeated the recall. Before absentee ballots were counted, Danelle Searfoss had defeated Christensen and Democrat opponent Sandra Kluskowski. With absentee votes added, Searfoss received 766 votes to 826 for Christensen and 240 for Kluskowski.

“We are really excited, this was a lot of work,” said Bossler, who along with the other winners were celebrating at Fat Cams in Edwardsburg. “We thought the odds were against us. It was an uphill struggle campaigning against the establishment, but it sounds like we pulled it off.

“I don’t now how many people we are going to have at that first meeting, but we are going to expect a lot of them to come to that first meeting and we are going to tell them going to do and we are going to stick to it.”

Brielmaier said it was a combination of the sewer project and the east end of Eagle Lake that did them in.

“It is an election and people voted,” he said. “I want to thank everybody who voted and I hope that everything turns out the way they wanted.”

McNaughton garnered 802 votes compared to 795 for Ralph and 230 for Blankenmyer.

“I cannot tell you how excited we are right now,” McNaughton said. “It is a celebration for sure. We are going to make a difference. All of our work paid off.

“We really want to make a change and has some transparency in the government. We do not want to keep anything hidden. We want to make our community thrive.”

In the trustee races, Leon Gilliam defeated Brousseau and Jeremy Reece. Gilliam finished with 789 votes compared to 734  for Brousseau and 293 for Reece.

“I am overjoyed actually to jump into a fight like this and come out a victor,” Gilliam said. “I am tickled. My background is in law enforcement, so I am ready to have one of sharpest police departments here in the county. I am also happy that we can make this a united township again.”

Mike Mroczek will replace Krupp on the board as he defeated both Brousseau and challenger Mary Ann Crete.

Mroczek received 796 votes, while Krupp finished with 732 and Crete 295.

“It is quite a thing here with five out of five,” Mroczek said. “It is quite unbelievable. It was a contentious election, but now it is time for the community to get back together and concentrate on what is really important.

“We appreciate all the help and support from everybody. We recognize there is room in local government to be heard. The election was clearly a referendum on a poorly conceived wastewater treatment plant.

According to Brielmaier, the Cass County Board of Canvassers will meet Wednesday afternoon and once the election is certified the winners will take office.

The next Ontwa Township Board meeting is Monday at 7 p.m. at the township office.