Warren resident Paul Kardasz announced Tuesday night he is suspending his recall campaign against Mayor Lori Stone indefinitely.

“This decision comes after careful consideration of the systemic challenges in Michigan’s recall process, as well as the troubling issue of signature fraud that has cast a long shadow over legitimate efforts like mine,” Kardasz said.

Kardasz filed a recall against Stone in October 2023 that was denied by the Macomb County Election Commission in November. A second petition was approved in December.

The petition language that was approved states: “Warren Mayor Lori M. Stone failed to sign a land bank agreement unanimously approved by the City Council on Aug. 27, 2024. On Nov. 26, the Council voted to give her 72 hours to sign the agreement. When she did not comply, the Council filed a lawsuit on Dec. 9, 2024 in Macomb County Circuit Court (Case No. 2024-004810-AW) to compel her to authenticate the agreement.”

Michigan election law states the number of signatures needed to trigger a recall election is 25% of the votes cast in the officer’s district for all candidates for the office of governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. As a result, Kardasz needed to gather over 12,500 signatures.

He called that number “inflated” and said the number of signatures required are more than the 11,877 votes Stone received in the November 2023 election. Her opponent George Dimas received 10,488 votes.

“From the inflated signature requirement of over 12,500 valid signatures in this case, which is more votes than Mayor Stone received to win office, to the complex and restrictive timing rules, the process is stacked against grassroots organizers,” said Kardasz.” The system, which should empower citizens to hold their elected officials accountable, instead erects obstacle after obstacle.”

Kardasz said he stands by his belief Stone should be recalled and that her reluctance to sign the city’s land bank agreement is but one example of Warren’s mayor not adhering to her duties and called on the City Council to discuss “all paths to remove her from office.”

He said he had “hundreds” of residents reach out to him to ask where they could sign the recall petition.

When the recall petition language was approved in December, Stone told WJBK-TV (Fox 2 News) that “residents will see right through this effort” and appeared to laugh. Kardasz said the mayor felt empowered to laugh because “she knows the scale is tipped in favor of the office holder and not the petitioner.”

Kardasz did not rule out the possibility of filing future recall petitions against Stone and called for the state to revamp the rules for recalls to make the process more accessible for citizens

“Though I am suspending this recall effort, I am not giving up the fight for Warren or for the reforms Michigan desperately needs,” Kardasz said. “This effort has underscored the widespread frustration with Mayor Stone’s leadership and the urgent need for real accountability.”