The vast majority of a small rural town in Green Charter Township, Michigan, took a stance recently and voted to oust their current local government from its seat. What caused this uproar in the community, and why were the citizens pushed to this? Keep reading to find out.
It Started With the Chinese Factory
The Chinese factory that caused this major uproar is a subsidiary of a company called Gotion. The company is a Chinese-affiliated electric battery plant that produces modular electric power sources.
Therefore, the unit contains part or all of the fuel, generating electric power directly from a chemical reaction. At first thought, this is a great company in such a small town.
Gotion’s Multi-Billion Dollar Investment
As expected, electric battery plants did not come cheap. The Chinese-affiliated company, Gotion, invested $2.4 billion into this project to take flight in the town.
The billion-dollar investment is worth its price as battery plants reportedly return their assets in multiple folds. This is because society highly frowns upon fuel plants due to the environmental damage they cause.
The Uproar Came When Gotion Bought a Land
The uproar from the town came several months after the company had bought the land for their factory and signed the appropriate contracts.
The company’s setup is almost complete, and its executives were looking to begin production in a couple of weeks. However, the company’s launch had to be put on temporary hold thanks to the actions of the town’s residents.
How Much Was the Company Going to Generate?
Having a battery plant in a small rural town would generate a lot of income for the town’s government. Thanks to the nature of the factory, battery plants typically have huge returns and low yearly turnovers.
This is because the world needs more battery plants that run on electricity, not fossil fuels. However, there aren’t many of these companies available.
The Company Was Going to Create Jobs
Also, due to the relative scarcity of battery plants around the world, most of them generate a lot of job opportunities wherever they are. Therefore, the Gotion plant project was supposed to create about 2,300 job openings if things went according to plan.
Green Charter Township has an estimated population of 3,108 residents, so this would have been an excellent opportunity to provide jobs for most residents.
The Town’s Residents Rejected Gotion
Everything mentioned above sounds beyond incredible for the community, but its residents want the factory out. Why? Because Gotion is a Chinese communist company.
At first, the company denied allegiance to the communist party of China. However, its corporate records say, “The company shall set up a party organization and carry out party activities in accordance with the constitution of the communist party of China.”
The Residents’ Reactions to the Communist Company
The entire town felt a lot of anger when news of Gotion being a communist company broke. The residents complained terribly and mentioned how they now distrust their local government, which allowed the company to take its base there.
“Right now, we are not on friendly terms with China. They are threatening us. I consider them the enemy. I don’t want them here, either,” a resident Harry King said.
What Did the Residents Do?
Citing their distrust for their local government, the residents of Green Charter Township took matters into their own hands. The town chose a clerk from a neighboring township to run an election, which would decide the fate of their local council.
The designated clerk also counted the ballots in front of all the residents present to enable transparency and fairness.
The Election Results
Most of the town members voted to remove their entire town board. This means all of their local government members are officially voted out and have no choice but to leave office.
Cheers erupted throughout the town as the clerk announced the election results, signifying the end of the entire board’s reign. In addition, the people won that day.
When Will the New Board Be Sworn In?
The town immediately swore in a new board, marking a significant win for the people, and the process to keep Gotion out of their township will begin.
However, this would be challenging for the new board as Gotion has bought their property and has legal rights to proceed with their factory work.
What Happens Now?
The first step was taking a stance and removing the board members. The new board, set to be sworn in on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, has substantial work ahead.
Finally, they have to legally try to prove the company’s communist roots and revoke their legal rights to operate in the town entirely.
Is the Fight Truly Over?
The fight has only just begun, and the residents of Green Charter Township know this.
In an interview, a female resident said: “We want everyone to have a voice and not have any secrecy anymore. This whole thing that went down with Gotion was horrible from the first go around. And like I said, the people have spoken.”
