Effort to Recall Dave Woodward Falls Short on Signatures

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 30, 2026)

Royal Oak, MI – An effort to recall County Commissioner Dave Woodward has ended after falling short of the required number of signatures. The group called I Am Oakland County had been aiming to collect about 9,000 signatures for the recall petition. They announced having ended the effort with about 3,000.

“We’re obviously disappointed not to meet our goal, but we’re excited about the response we’ve gotten. Once people learned about what was happening at the county level with surveillance technology, Dave Woodward’s ethics issues, and the Commission ignoring residents’ opposition to Flock, they were eager to sign,” said Justine Galbraith, one of the group’s organizers.

Woodward, a Democrat, represents voters in Birmingham, Royal Oak, and Troy. He is also the Chair of the Oakland County Board.

The recall effort began in response to the board’s decision on April 8 to approve a Flock camera drone trial program for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office after Federal regulations required government agencies to stop using drones made overseas.

The County had been using drones for five years, but the switch to the US-made Flock system sparked public pushback as people across the country have been protesting the use of Flock license plate reading cameras and the widespread sharing of data within the Flock network. During that meeting over 200 residents attended to voice opposition. Woodward and other commissioners voted to move the public comment portion of the meeting to the end, after the decision was made to approve the trial.

While they failed to get enough signatures, I Am Oakland County representatives say their activism is not coming to an end.

According to a press release, the group will continue to advocate for resident privacy and hopes to persuade the Board of Commissioners not to extend the controversial contract with Flock Safety for surveillance drones at the full commission meeting in December. They also plan to recruit and train candidates to run for several County Commission seats.

“Residents deserve commissioners who see them as partners in government, not obstacles to work around,” said Mike Flores, of I Am Oakland County. “We will develop and prepare leaders who listen, welcome public participation, and remember that their authority comes from the people they serve.”

When asked to comment on the recall effort coming to an end, Woodward told Oakland County Times ” The political stunt collapsed under the weight of its own absurdity. This is a mandate from my constituents telling me to keep delivering on our shared progressive values to lower costs, protect health care, and help all working families get ahead.

“I’ll stand by my record of creating jobs, better transit, more affordable housing, saving Planned Parenthood, eliminating medical debt, reducing student debt and fighting against DTE’s latest price increase. And there is much more work to do!”