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County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The Genesee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow its Vice Chairman to sign checks next year between Jan. 1 and Jan. 5. The resolution passed after Corporation Counsel David Leyton urged Commissioners to take the action.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show reported on We
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The Genesee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow its Vice Chairman to sign checks next year between Jan. 1 and Jan. 5. The resolution passed after Corporation Counsel David Leyton urged Commissioners to take the action.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show reported on Wednesday's (Dec. 1, 2021) program that County Board Chairman Mark Young planned to submit a letter of resignation, effective on Dec. 31, 2021.
No mention of the resignation letter was made during Wednesday's regular board meeting with Young presiding over it. Multiple sources, including count y commissioners, confirmed to The Morning Gazette Radio Show that Young was stepping down, effective on Dec. 31, 2021.
Young was elected as chairman in 2021 to replace Martin Cousineau of Clio who was voted out of office last year. Young also served as county board chairman in 2017 and 2018. The Grand Blanc Democrat was first elected as a Commissioner in 2012 and was re-elected four times to two-year terms. No reason was given for his resignation which had been rumored for weeks.
Flint Township Democrat Dominque Clemons is the Vice Chairman until the reorganization meeting scheduled for Jan. 5, 2022 when it's expected to he will succeed Young as chairman.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Commissioner Dominque Clemons of Flint Township.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show reports county board chairman to step down Dec. 31
County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
GRAND BLANC (CCN) — Fifth-term County Commissioner Mark Young is stepping down as Chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, effective Dec. 31, 2021. The Morning Gazette Radio Show reported on Wednesday's program that Commissioner Young will submit a resignation letter today.
The story w
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
GRAND BLANC (CCN) — Fifth-term County Commissioner Mark Young is stepping down as Chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, effective Dec. 31, 2021. The Morning Gazette Radio Show reported on Wednesday's program that Commissioner Young will submit a resignation letter today.
The story was confirmed by multiple sources, including count y commissioners.
Young did not respond to a request for comment.
No other commissioners reached by The Morning Gazette Radio Show wanted to talk about the situation that has been the subject of rumors in the community for weeks.
Today's regular board meeting is the only meeting scheduled by the Genesee County Board of Commissioners until next year.
Young was elected as chairman in 2021 to replace Martin Cousineau of Clio who was voted out of office last year. Young also served as county board chairman in 2017 and 2018. The Grand Blanc Democrat was first elected as a Commissioner in 2012 and was re-elected four times to two-year terms. No reason was given for his resignation which had been rumored for weeks.
Young is a retired Deputy with the Genesee County Sheriff's Department.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Mark Young who has resigned as Chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.
Weekend murder; two more Monday shootings add to Flint's near record crime numbers
County board votes for Vice Chair Domonique Clemons to sign checks Jan. 1 thru Jan 5
Weekend murder; two more Monday shootings add to Flint's near record crime numbers
FLINT (CCN) — Homicides in the City of Flint continue toward a record number. Two more shootings on Monday followed a weekend murder. The city was one away from the all-time record a year ago during Sheldon Neeley's first full year as mayor when Flint had 61 homicide cases.
That was a 33 percent increase in murders over the number in 2
FLINT (CCN) — Homicides in the City of Flint continue toward a record number. Two more shootings on Monday followed a weekend murder. The city was one away from the all-time record a year ago during Sheldon Neeley's first full year as mayor when Flint had 61 homicide cases.
That was a 33 percent increase in murders over the number in 2019, and one short of being double the total during Mayor Dr. Karen Weaver's final full year in office in 2018 when Flint police had only 31 homicides. Flint has already set an all-time record for shootings in one year with more than 250 so far in 2021.
A dead body was found on Friday (Nov. 24, 2021) in an abandoned house on the east side.
A 57-year-old man was taken to Hurley Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds at about 3:30 am on Monday (Nov 29, 2021). He was shot on Elmridge Drive on Flint's north side.
Another Monday shooting took place at about 12:45 pm when a 28-year-old victim stumbled into the Boost Mobile store near Saginaw Street and Hemphill Road. Police believe he was shot on Tennyson Avenue about a block from the store.
The latest violence follows an explosion that killed two people last week in what The Morning Gazette Radio Show reported as additional homicides after reports of a bomb device being thrown into a home on Hogarth Street, according to people who live in the area.
Genesee County Republican Party Chairman pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges
26-year-old Allie Herkenroder elected by 5-to-4 vote as Vice President of Flint City Council
Attorney releases statement after Davison school board member pleads guilty to charges
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Genesee County Republican Party Chairman Matthew Smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges Monday morning (Nov. 22, 2021) in Genesee County 67th District Court.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show, citing two anonymous sources, reported on Monday's program that Smith would be pleading guil
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Genesee County Republican Party Chairman Matthew Smith pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges Monday morning (Nov. 22, 2021) in Genesee County 67th District Court.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show, citing two anonymous sources, reported on Monday's program that Smith would be pleading guilty. He did not react to a request for a comment on Friday afternoon when asked about it via Messenger.
Smith now faces up to six months in jail before Judge William Crawford on Jan. 11 at 9 am.
Smith was charged with malicious use of telecommunication services to threaten physical harm or damage to Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly. He admitted guilt when the was questioned Monday by Judge Crawford with multiple media members in attendance. He admitted the phone call was "totally inappropriate."
In exchange for his decision to enter the plea, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office agreed not to object to Smith being sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act which helps young offenders avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction. Most offenders sentenced under the Act are given probation and have their records expunged if they avoid any further trouble with the law. Smith, now 24, was 23 at the time of the offense.
The Oakland County Prosecutor took the case after Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton recused his office.
Media members were waiting outside the court room for Smith after Monday's proceedings and when he began to answer a question, defense attorney Dennis Lazar stopped him and said no comments would be issued until Jan. 11. "We will wait until after the sentencing," Lazar said. "Until then, there will be no comments."
Smith had insisted to media members on Sept. 16 that he was not guilty of the charges. Members of a group aiming to recall Smith from his position on the Davison school board noted that Smith also had repeatedly made the same claims at various other times, included at three hearings before the Genesee County Election Commission on proposed recall language to remove him from office. The Sept. 16 claims were made during an impromptu press conference outside the court building with TV cameras rolling and multiple other media members there. Smith's claims then were made after his initial defense attorney, Albert Zerka, filed a motion to quit the case when citing irreconcilable differences with his client and telling Judge Crawford that "Smith forced me to file this motion" after telling him three weeks ago to get a new attorney.
Judge Crawford granted a motion to delay the trial and set Oct. 25 as a pre-trial date after calling Smith to the podium and hearing Smith tell the judge that he would find a new attorney. He did so by hiring Lazar who appeared with Smith in court on Oct. 25 and again on Monday for a scheduled pre-trial proceeding before the judge.
Zerka had said he wanted his motion granted to be allowed to withdraw from the case, telling Judge Crawford: "I'm worried he will come back here on Oct. 25 with no attorney and I can somehow get dragged back into this case... I don't see another attorney taking this case."
Zerka was upset a day before the Sept. 16 hearing when confirming to The Morning Gazette Radio Show that he was filing a motion to withdraw. When learning that Smith said he asked Zerka to withdraw from the case, Zerka responded: "Show up in court tomorrow and we can straighten it out and you can see who is being truthful."
The Committee For School Board Integrity issued a statement less than an hour after Smith left the court without making a comment. The group opened an office in Downtown Davison over the weekend and began collecting signatures in its attempt to remove Smith from his seat on the Davison Board of Education.
The recall group's statement was as follows: "On June 17th after Matthew Smith was charged with making a threatening phone call to the Houghton County Clerk, he said it was a political smear campaign, blamed seemingly everyone except himself, and accused his traumatized victim - a single woman living alone — of lying. On Sept (16th) when his last attorney refused to continue representing him, Matthew reiterated that the threatening phone call didn't happen. On Oct. 4th when the recall language was approved, Mathew stated in an elections commission hearing in open court that he was not guilty. When Matthew was first contacted by Houghton County detectives, he filed what we now know was a false police report - another crime — claiming someone had 'spoofed' his phone. Today, Mathew Smith has (pleaded) guilty to the charges against him. This further demonstrates the urgency of returning integrity to the Davison School Board, and preventing a bully who does not respect the law and truth-telling from making decisions that impact our children. It also reinforces the fact that he must be stopped from pursuing his further political ambitions.
We now have an admitted criminal on the Davison school board. This is unacceptable for our children and we will continue to work through the lawful process of recall and replacement. "
Smith was accused of lying to police about an allegation that he had called and threatened a northern Michigan official while helping her challenger with his campaign. Police reports indicate that Smith initially denied calling the woman, then indeed told police that a friend "must have spoofed his phone" after presented with evidence that his cell number appeared on her phone. The candidate Smith was helping then confessed to police that he was on the phone call made by Smith and said it was Smith's idea. A forensic analysis of Smith's cell phone was then done and confirmed that Smith's phone had indeed been used to call the woman. Smith and the witness told police, however, that no threats were made against her. He was subsequently charged by the State Attorney General's Office.
At the Sept. 16 press conference on the sidewalk outside the court house, Smith insisted to media members that he "never threatened" the woman. A protest outside the court building also drew his ire and Smith told reporters: "They are here from the Genesee County Democrat Party board.... This whole thing is a political hit job by our county clerk (former State Senator and current County Clerk / Register of Deeds John Gleason)... I'm not guilty. I didn't threaten this woman and they have no evidence that I did. I can't wait to get all this behind me and clear my name because I'm not guilty. I never threatened this woman and I'm looking forward to get this out of my life."
Smith also blasted the local media then for its coverage of his case, saying three members of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners also had recall hearings on the same day as his hearing, saying, "But only a school board member's recall gets covered except in one story by MLive that mentioned the others."
The Morning Gazette Radio Show and The Daily Gazette have each reported extensively on the recalls filed against County Commissioners Ellen Ellenberg of Burton, Mark Young of Grand Blanc and Gary Peppin of Davison. In fact, all three recalls were reported a few days ahead of stories about them published by MLive.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Davison school board member Matthew Smith who is Chairman of the Genesee County Republican Party..
Attorney releases statement after Davison school board member pleads guilty to charges
26-year-old Allie Herkenroder elected by 5-to-4 vote as Vice President of Flint City Council
Attorney releases statement after Davison school board member pleads guilty to charges
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
DAVISON (CCN) — An attorney representing a group aiming to a recall a Davison school board member issued a statement on Monday (Nov. 22, 2021) — just hours after Matthew Smith entered a guilty plea in a controversial criminal case.
Lawyer Alec Gibbs, who drafted the recall language approved agains
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
DAVISON (CCN) — An attorney representing a group aiming to a recall a Davison school board member issued a statement on Monday (Nov. 22, 2021) — just hours after Matthew Smith entered a guilty plea in a controversial criminal case.
Lawyer Alec Gibbs, who drafted the recall language approved against Smith in a bid to remove him from the Davison Boar of Education, is scheduled to appear Wednesday on The Morning Gazette Radio Show to talk about his statement with members of a group aimed to recall Smith and remove him from his seat on the Davison Board of Education. You can listen live by Clicking Here at 8 am.
Smith was elected this fall as the new Genesee County Republican Party Chairman in the midst of the pending criminal charges that he adamantly denied until Monday's guilty plea. He's also a former "on air" employee at WNEM TV 5.
Smith pleaded guilty in Genesee County 67th District Court to end a long saga sparked by a campaign stunt in 2020. He admitted to Judge William Crawford that he indeed made a 1 am phone call to his political friend's campaign for Houghton County Clerk. He will be sentenced on Jan. 11 and faces up to six months in jail.
The charge filed by the State Attorney General's Office was for malicious use of telecommunication services to threaten physical harm or damage to Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly.
Smith admitted guilty in exchange for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office agreement not to object to Smith being sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act which helps young offenders avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction. Most offenders sentenced under the Act are given probation and have their records expunged if they avoid any further trouble with the law. Smith, now 24, was 23 at the time of the offense. "We are okay with the judge using his discretion and we won't object," said an Assistant Prosecutor who appeared via Zoom. His office took the case after Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton recused his office.
The statement by Gibbs was released on behalf of the recall group which is known as the Committee for School Board Integrity. It was as follows:
"Matthew Smith, as usual, is attempting to confuse the fact that he plead guilty to a crime this morning saying that he plead guilty to an 'annoying phone call.' While the word annoying is included in the law, so are the words 'threatening' and 'harrassing.' Matthew called Jennifer Kelly at 1:00 am and frightened her so badly she called the police and kept furniture pushed against her door for weeks. If that is the definition of "annoying". The definition needs to be changed. Matthew is trying to hide behind technicalities to gloss over the fact that he just plead guilty to a crime. Even on the day of his plea, he is already refusing to take responsibility.
The facts:
1) The crime is "malicious use of telecommunication services". The word malicious is defined as "characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm". If the intent is to do harm, this is more than an annoyance.
2) HYTA is a good law. It exists so young offenders do not have their lives impacted for criminal offenses. It is not designed to allow defendants to shirk responsibility for their crimes.
3) It will be up to the judge on January 11th whether to proceed with the charge under HYTA. This is not yet certain.
4) If the charge does proceed in this fashion, he's still guilty, and whatever sentence he gets is not impacted by HYTA. It simply means that if the defendant stays out of trouble through the probation period, that the charge will be set aside after 3 years and no longer be a part of his record. Mathew Smith must successfully complete the terms of HYTA to avoid a conviction on his permanent record.
5) Matthew terrorized and intimidated Jennifer Kelly for political purposes because his "friend" was running against her. This further shows his use of the school board for political ambition and willingness to use malicious methods to advance them.
6) His appeal to the HYTA and his youth, while valid, is also an admission of immaturity. He can utilize this good law, but is not fit to make decisions on behalf of our children on the school board.
Matthew Smith should resign from the Davison School Board and the Genesee County Republican Party chairmanship immediately, not only for the crime, but for refusing to take responsibility upon his plea in court, and for attempting to confuse the public about what actually occurred.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Davison school board member Matthew Smith who is Chairman of the Genesee County Republican Party..
26-year-old Allie Herkenroder elected by 5-to-4 vote as Vice President of Flint City Council
26-year-old Allie Herkenroder elected by 5-to-4 vote as Vice President of Flint City Council
26-year-old Allie Herkenroder elected by 5-to-4 vote as Vice President of Flint City Council
FLINT (CCN) — Four newcomers to the Flint City Council helped elect newly-elected Allie Herkenroder as the new Vice President on Monday night (Nov. 15, 2021).
Herkenroder is the youngest city council person at age 26. She is the Resident Services Department coordinator at the Flint Housing Commission.
During the 7th Ward debate on The Mor
FLINT (CCN) — Four newcomers to the Flint City Council helped elect newly-elected Allie Herkenroder as the new Vice President on Monday night (Nov. 15, 2021).
Herkenroder is the youngest city council person at age 26. She is the Resident Services Department coordinator at the Flint Housing Commission.
During the 7th Ward debate on The Morning Gazette Radio Show, she criticized "petty personal politics" among council members and pledged to bring professionalism to the council chambers.
Herkenroder, who earned a bachelor's degree from Spring Harbor University, was the city's top vote getter among all nine winning candidates on Nov. 2. She was elected by her peers on the council as its Vice President by a slim 5-to-4 vote.
The votes to elect Herkenroder came from Herkenroder and fellow newcomers Dr. Ladel Lewis in the 2nd Ward, Quincy Murphy in the 3rd Ward and Judy Priestly in the 4th Ward, along with returning 9th Ward Councilwoman Eva Worthing.
Sheriff Swanson announces murder arrest in 24-year cold case of Lennon's Mary Prier
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
LENNON (CCN) — The cold case of Mary Prier has been solved, according to Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. He held a press conference on Thursday (Nov. 11, 2021) near the site of where the 88-year-old Lennon woman was found dead after being beaten and raped 24 years ago.
Sheriff Swanson said authorities took Michael Bur, 41, into custo
LENNON (CCN) — The cold case of Mary Prier has been solved, according to Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. He held a press conference on Thursday (Nov. 11, 2021) near the site of where the 88-year-old Lennon woman was found dead after being beaten and raped 24 years ago.
Sheriff Swanson said authorities took Michael Bur, 41, into custody earlier in the day during a traffic stop near his Lennon home at I-69 and M-13.
"He lived in Lennon at the time and was in the 11th grade," Sheriff Swanson said. He added that scientific evidence had determined within the last 24 years that Bur was at the scene of the crime.
Sheriff Swanson told media members that more details about the case would be revealed at a Nov. 17 press conference with Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.
Court records indicate the Bur is being held at the Genesee County Jail on no bond after being arraigned by Genesee County 67th District Court Chief Judge Christopher Odette.
PHOTO CAPTION: The photo above this story is of Lennon's Mary Prier on a Crime Stoppers poster about her murder 24 years ago.
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The return to work for the superintendent of Flint's school district lasted only a week. Anita Steward resigned on Friday (Nov. 12, 2021) after returning to her job on Nov. 5.
Steward had been on a personal leave since Sept. 2 — just days before filing a lawsuit against the district with
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The return to work for the superintendent of Flint's school district lasted only a week. Anita Steward resigned on Friday (Nov. 12, 2021) after returning to her job on Nov. 5.
Steward had been on a personal leave since Sept. 2 — just days before filing a lawsuit against the district with prominent local lawyer Tom Pabst.
Pabst appeared on The Morning Gazette Radio Show to announce Steward's lawsuit and said at the time that he didn't think she could return to work after the board's actions. The lawsuit alleges that the Flint Board of Education violated district bylaws and procedures while interfering with her day-to-day operations of the district.
Steward will be replaced on an interim basis by Kevelin Jones who had filled in for her from Sept. 2 until she returned on Nov. 5.
The district announced the resignation in a brief statement as follows: "The Flint Community Schools Board of Education has appointed Kevelin Jones interim superintendent to replace Anita Steward, who resigned as the district’s superintendent earlier today. The team at Flint Community Schools is dedicated to providing our community’s children with a safe place to learn, grow and play.”
Flint Board of Education President Carol McIntosh and three board members — Danielle Green, Joyce Ellis-McNeal, Danielle Green and Laura MacIntyre — are each named as defendants in the lawsuit. They formed the 4-to-3 vote also to reprimand Steward for not being transparent with the board during negotiations with Mott Foundation President & CEO Ridgway White. They also ordered that McIntosh be included in any future discussions with the Mott Foundation about its potential involvement with improvement projects for the district.
White reacted by pulling funding for programs, but later changed his mind about it.
He appeared on The Morning Gazette Radio Show and said his foundation had donated more than $70 million to Flint schools since 2013. White said he wanted to help build new buildings for the district and Steward had been his "point of contact" during the talks.
Community activist Arthur Woodson later told The Morning Gazette Radio Show that a certain "secret Memorandum of Understanding" had revealed that White wanted to own new buildings and lease them to the district. "We have $100 million coming from the federal government to build new buildings and we're just not going to let Ridgway White come in here to control that money , and own our school buildings the way he does (Flint) Powers (Catholic) and MSD (Michigan School for the Deaf)."
Woodson also criticized Pabst for filing the lawsuit, saying, "He may be a prominent lawyer with a great reputation and all that, but he missed on this one. Her contract required her to go to arbitration first and she didn't do that, so you just watch — it's all going to be dismissed."
Attorney Cha'Ris Lee filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed. It was originally scheduled for Nov. 15 but it has been adjourned until Dec. 6 in Genesee County Circuit Court.
Pabst and Lee were invited to appear Monday on The Morning Gazette Radio Show.
Lee responded by saying, "Thank you for the invite to your show. We aren’t commenting on litigation while it is ongoing. When it is finished, I’d be happy to discuss with you."
Pabst has not yet responded to our request for a comment or to appear on The Morning Gazette Radio Show to react to Woodson's allegations or to comment about Steward's resignation.
Jones becomes the eighth superintendent for the Flint school district since 2005. Steward's predecessor, Derrick Lopez, had his contract terminated in a 4-1 vote last year in June. The district later settled a lawsuit threat by paying Lopez $207,000 and canceling a disciplinary memorandum in his personnel file that required " “significantly better performance."
Lopez had been hired in 2018 to replace Gregory Weatherspoon who served for a brief period after Bilal Tawwab's tenure that begin in 2015. Larry Watkins served on an interim basis from 2013 until 2015 after financial irregularities in the district led to Linda Thompson's exit in 2012. She had been the district's leader since 2008 when replacing Walter Milton who served from 2005 until 2007 as superintendent.
Walter Milton (2005-2007), Linda Thompson (2008-2012), Lawrence Watkins (2013-2015),
Woodson said a big part of the school board's problems with Steward was that she "allowed long-time board members Vera Perry and Diana Wright to continue to pay out huge legal fees to their friend — attorney Kendall Williams." Perry and Wright resigned after the controversy where Steward was ordered not to talk with Mott Foundation officials without McIntosh being present at any future meetings.
A freedom of Information request confirmed that Woodson was correct about alleging that $1.6 million in legal fees had been paid since 2018 to Williams and his Grand Blanc law firm before the district stopped using Williams earlier this year.
Williams defended his actions to The Daily Gazette by writing a three-page letter saying all of his law firm's billings were in order and explained to the board at the time despite Woodson's allegations to the contrary.
PHOTO CAPTION: The photo above this story is of Anita Steward who has resigned as Superintendent of Flint Community Schools.
Services on Nov. 30 for former Chairman of Genesee County Democrat Party
Flint school district reveals loss of yet another superintendent as Anita Steward resigns
Services on Nov. 30 for former Chairman of Genesee County Democrat Party
FLINT (CCN) — A prominent Flint attorney has lost his battle with Cancer. Terry Bankert passed away on Friday (Nov. 12, 2021). His death was announced by his wife, businesswoman and Flint's City Planning Commission member Lynn Sorenson, in a Facebook post.
She wrote: "Thank You to the Citizens of Flint! You Contributed More to His Life tha
FLINT (CCN) — A prominent Flint attorney has lost his battle with Cancer. Terry Bankert passed away on Friday (Nov. 12, 2021). His death was announced by his wife, businesswoman and Flint's City Planning Commission member Lynn Sorenson, in a Facebook post.
She wrote: "Thank You to the Citizens of Flint! You Contributed More to His Life than You Will Ever Know! Never Give Up the Fight for Justice nor Surrender to the Norm. Each of You CAN Cause Change and Make a Difference. 1.20.1951 - 11.11.202."
Bankert was a former Chairman of the Genesee County Democrat Party. He was appointed in 1983 as Flint City Clerk and served in the role until being appointed as Flint's City Ombudsman in 1987. He ran for Flint 7th Ward City Council seat in 2005 losing in the nonpartisan primary to Jim Ananich and Clyde Edwards. Ananich moved on from his councilman post to become a state legislator — serving in the State House of Representatives before defeating Woodrow Stanley for a seat in the State Senate. He is currently the Senate Minority Leader.
After losing his bid for a city council seat, Bankert remained outspoken on city issues. In fact, he once led a campaign to keep the City Ombudsman role in Flint government when there was a political movement to eliminate the position. It was the first time social media was used almost exclusively to promote the "yes" vote campaign.
Bankert was under consideration in 2009 to be appointed by then Governor Jennifer Grandholm for the vacancy in the position of Probate Judge for Genesee County caused by the death of the judge. Bankert worked many years in divorce cases and family law.
His "Dump Your Spouse" billboards, park bench signs, TV and radio commercials became a staple of his practice that was located across from the Genesee County Circuit Court building in Downtown Flint.
Bankert once hosted a radio show about family law matters on WFLT 1420 AM. He was also a weekly Wednesday political panelist "on the left" for a few years on The Morning Gazette Radio Show during broadcasts on WSNL 67000 AM and WFNT 1470 AM.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
PHOTO CAPTION: The photo above this story is of attorney Terry Bankert who passed away on Friday (Nov. 12, 2021).
Another missing woman renews fears about potential serial killer near Broome Park area on Flint's south side
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Serial killer pleads guilty in st. louis; had ties to arEA
Former Flint Kearsley star athlete accepts guilty plea in brutal St. Louis murder
Is latest missing woman in Flint victim of serial killer? When will police confirm it?
Former Flint Kearsley star athlete accepts guilty plea in brutal St. Louis murder
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (CCN) — A former star athlete from Flint Kearsley High School has accepted a guilty plea in St. Louis, MIssouri for raping two women and killing another one. He is suspected as a serial killer who has raped women and struck in multiple sta
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (CCN) — A former star athlete from Flint Kearsley High School has accepted a guilty plea in St. Louis, MIssouri for raping two women and killing another one. He is suspected as a serial killer who has raped women and struck in multiple states, including possibly in the Flint area where The Daily Gazette's investigation during the past three years has revealed that he may have worked with an accomplice.
Bruce, 56, was charged with first-degree murder, sodomy, kidnapping and other crimes in relation to a Nov. 19, 2018 attack on three women at the Catholic Supply store in the St. Louis area. He previously pleaded not guilty to multiple charges related to the attack, but Bruce took a plea deal last week that carries a mandatory life in prison sentence without the possibility of parole. He could have faced the death penalty.
Bruce was sentenced to 11 other life sentences and four 15-year prison terms, in addition to the life without the possibility of parole sentence given for shooting and killing one victim.
Bruce entered St. Louis Judge Joseph S. Dueker’s courtroom with attorney Mary Fox, shackled at the hands and feet — wearing a light brown prison jumpsuit and glasses. Fox told Judge Ducker that her client had decided to change his plea to guilty. After hearing from family members of victims, Bruce opted not to address the court although media reports indicated that his attorney said a statement had been prepared but that Bruce opted not to read it "to not take away" from family members who spoke to him. The two survivors of the Catholic Supply store also spoke to Bruce and urged Judge Dueker to lock him up forever.
A press release from the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office before the court proceedings also said Bruce had prepared a written statement that was to be read at the sentencing. It has not been released to the media.
Police say Bruce entered the Catholic Supply store, pretended to shop, brought items to the cash register, then went outside and brought a gun back inside with him. He ordered two store employees and a shopper, Jamie Schmidt, to the restroom, where he forced them to undress and made two of them perform sexual acts on him. Schmidt, 53, refused to cooperate and the survivors say Bruce shot her in the head. She died at the scene.
One of the survivors recalled the conversation between Bruce and Schmidt before the fatal shooting. She said Schmidt was the only woman standing when Bruce told her, “It’s your turn.” She said Schmidt responded, “No.” She said Bruce then told her: “Well then, I’m gonna shoot you in the head.” She said Schmidt answered: “Go ahead.” Bruce then pulled the trigger. Before he fled the store, both survivors told police that he demanded that lay on the floor and if saw them get up while he was in front of the store, he would come back inside and kill both of them. They got up and called for help a few minutes after feeling Bruce had fled the scene.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said Bruce’s fingerprints were lifted off several items he brought to the cash register, including a box of Christmas cards. In addition, Prosecutor Bell said the state had ballistic and DNA evidence against Bruce. Police went door-to-door in the area after the attack, searching for a suspect. Bruce was arrested three days later at his home 23 miles away from the Catholic Supply store in Imperial, MIssouri. The break in the case came when an employee at a nearby bar recognized the sketch of Bruce and told police he had left a business card shortly before the attack, after trying to sell insurance to the bar while eating lunch there.
Another victim recognized Bruce's booking photo in TV news reports and said he forced his way into her home only 52 days earlier — beating and raping her. The elderly woman was 77 and said she believed Bruce saw her at her mailbox and came back to knock on her door. He pretended to be trying to sell her something, then forced his way inside where he beat and raped her.
The case is similar to the 1997 murder of 88-year-old Mary Prieur in Lennon.
The Lennon woman was raped, beaten and her half naked dead body was left just 150 feet away from her home in a swampy, wooded lot near Lennon Road and M-13. A 2014 press conference was held below a billboard by Crime Stoppers near the scene and then Genesee County Under-Sheriff Chris Swanson (now the Sheriff) said at the time: "For 17 years, Mary has been lying in a cold grave without any justice. Just recently, Mary's 97-year-old sister passed away in Florida, and I promised her sister, Frances, that I would not stop, that the office of Sheriff would not stop until her killer, the killer of her sister, was found and brought to justice. And that is why we are here today. We will not stop."
Investigative notebooks by The Daily Gazette were turned over to Sheriff Swanson last year and he was trying to make arrangements to talk with Bruce before a trial which was scheduled to take place later this month. The Daily Gazette suspects that Bruce may have killed others in the Flint area as well as in Ann Arbor and at least four other states where he spent time.
The Daily Gazette's investigative team also believes Bruce may be responsible for the Lennon murder and a late-night April 2000 case at the Burton post office where a 32-year-old Grand Blanc woman disappeared.
Dates of deaths in these places match up with possible visits Bruce made to their areas, based on photos placed on Facebook by family members and their friends. Bruce's parents lived in Burton before moving to northern Michigan, his sister lives in Ann Arbor, his brother lives in another state and a childhood friend once lived in another state before moving back to the Kearsley area.
At a summer reunion with old baseball and track teammates from Kearsley in 2017, The Daily Gazette learned that one childhood friend was also given a gun by Bruce as a gift. Sources say he told people the FBI seized the gun after Bruce's arrest in St. Louis, but The Daily Gazette has not been able to confirm it. The FBI generally does not discuss cases with the media.
The skulls of Misty Kerrison-Steiber and Claudia Wilson were discovered by a man walking his dog in Broome Park on Flint's south side in November of 2017 after the two women had disappeared in August and September, respectively. (See related story at right if reading on a laptop or PC, or scroll below to read it if using a Smart Phone)
Broome Park was also the sight of Bruce's heroics as a young star in baseball. He was a star player on the first Kearsley youth baseball team to ever win a city championship there in 1979. Bruce often expressed regrets, including on Facebook posts, about quitting baseball to concentrate on track. On the summer before his sophomore year, Bruce played on a Kearsley Class C baseball team with classmates in the Class of 1983 at Kearsley and Holy Rosary to defeat Kearsley's varsity squad led at the time by Coach Rick Lake who subsequently tried hard to convince Bruce to switch back to baseball. He was a speedster on the base paths, had a big league style throwing arm from the outfield where he ran down balls in any direction and Bruce hit for power while often also bunting for hits as a speedy lefty.
The Daily Gazette's investigative team spent many hours talking with people who live in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road, as well as many who work at businesses in the area. None had ever talked to police and it was also revealed that the list of missing women in that neighborhood may be bigger. Many women on drugs and involved in prostitution have disappeared over the years, too, without drawing any attention.
As one person in the neighborhood said: "Who would miss someone that nobody knows because they came here from another city with no ties to the area?"
Just days before Kerrison-Steiber and Wilson went missing on Flint's south side, Brianna Vibert went missing on July 15, 2017. She was spotted at an adult entertainment club where she previously worked and was seen on video at two local gas stations just hours before she went missing — one on Miller Road in Flint Township and another one on Saginaw Street in the City of Flint. Mindy Renee Tavares is a 42-year-old woman who was last seen on Flint's south side on either Aug. 10 or Aug. 11. Tracey Brownrigg, 38, is the latest woman to go missing. She was known to be cleaning a house on Grand Traverse on the south side of Flint, and she was known to spend time in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road.
The missing person cases of Tavares and Brownrigg can't be tied to Bruce because he's in prison, but The Daily Gazette believes Bruce may have been working here with an accomplice who moved back here from another state. He was a childhood friend and multiple sources say authorities in St. Louis are aware of a man who has used burner phones to talk with Bruce while he has been in prison.
Sheriff Swanson at the Genesee County Sheriff's Department has been given the suspect's name and address, and so, too, has Lt. Yvonne Brantley who is Commander at the Flint Township post of the Michigan State Police. They have also been notified that The Daily Gazette has learned that Brownrigg was cleaning a house for a man who we've learned was convicted more than 30 years ago of first degree criminal sexual conduct.
The man who had Brownrigg cleaning his house also matches the description of a man many in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road were familiar with because they said he allegedly sold drugs to prostitutes there.
Another suspect developed by The Daily Gazette's investigation died, and the list of missing women has continued to mount despite his death.
Barry Sheck, the famous DNA expert member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" of lawyers at his 1994 murder trial, tried to convince a Tennessee judge to match Bruce's DNA with a murder victim there. Scheck said investigators had told him Bruce went to the same avionics course as Marine Lance Cpl. Suzanne Collins while they were stationed together there in the U.S. Navy's at the former Memphis Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee, Collins was 19 when she went jogging in a park near the base on the night of July 11, 1985. Her body was discovered early the next day and the beautiful 19-year-old had been beaten, raped and mutilated.
Sedley Alley was executed in 2006 for the murder of Collins and his daughter was trying to clear his name with the help of Sheck's Innocense Project. Since the early 1990s, 22 death row inmates around the country have been absolved of crimes through DNA evidence.
Prominent local realtor's sister last seen Oct. 25 in Fenton Rd/Atherton Rd area
Is latest missing woman in Flint victim of serial killer? When will police confirm it?
Former Flint Kearsley star athlete accepts guilty plea in brutal St. Louis murder
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Yet another story of a missing woman has Flint's south side near Broome Park fearing a serial killer is stalking their area.
The rumors began in the fall of 2017 when two women disappeared without a trace. Then City of Flint Police Chief Timoth
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Yet another story of a missing woman has Flint's south side near Broome Park fearing a serial killer is stalking their area.
The rumors began in the fall of 2017 when two women disappeared without a trace. Then City of Flint Police Chief Timothy Johnson admitted to The Daily Gazette at the time that authorities had no leads. He said the case was being handled by State Police. As usual with the State Police at the Corunna Road post, the cases were tossed into the "unsolved" pile. For these two cases in particular, family members complain that nothing is being done to bring justice for their loved ones.
Misty Kerrison-Steiber and Claudia Wilson disappeared in August and September of 2017, respectively. Their skulls were found in November of 2017 by a man walking his dog in Broome Park.
Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to catching anyone responsible for the deaths of Kerrison-Steiber and Wilson. Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County has also published a poster about the latest missing woman — Tracey Brownrigg. She's 38 and was last known to be cleaning a house on Grand Traverse on Flint's south side on Oct. 25. She is also known to spend lots of time in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road.
Brownrigg is a mother of two children and the sister of prominent Davison realtor Ryan Eashoo who lives in Flint's Carriage Town.
Eashoo complained that the Flint Police Department has not helped. He said State Police has met with family members although Lt. Brantley, who is Commander at the Corunna Road post of the Michigan State Police in Flint Township, told The Daily Gazette on Sunday that she was not personally aware of the case.
Eashoo said in a Facebook post that has been shared dozens of times: "I am at a complete loss right now, my sister... We love her so so much and need to find her and bring her home."
Just days before Kerrison-Steiber and Wilson went missing on Flint's south side, Brianna Vibert went missing on July 15, 2017. She was spotted at an adult entertainment club where she previously worked and was seen on video at two local gas stations just hours before she went missing — one on Miller Road in Flint Township and another one on Saginaw Street in the City of Flint. Vibert was the mother of four children.
The last woman to go missing in Flint before Eashoo's sister was Mindy Renee Tavares who was last seen in Flint around Aug. 10 or Aug. 11. Tavares was 42.
Others in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road have disappeared, according to many people who work at businesses in the area. They were drug addicts and/or prostitutes, and some were known to have arrived here from other states. "Maybe nobody cared to look for them because they were on drugs or working the streets, but they're somebody's daughter, sister, maybe even somebody's mother, and they matter," said one business owner who asked not to be identified.
Others missing around the Flint area who The Daily Gazette believes could be victims of a serial killer include Randa Jawhari who disappeared from her Fenton apartment after midnight and before 8 am on Feb. 11, 2009; Christina Schultz who was last seen on Nov. 2, 1998 near Vernon Avenue on Flint's east side; and Danyese LaClair — a 32-year-old Grand Blanc woman last seen in the late hours of April 24, 2000 at the Burton post office on her way home.
Is latest missing woman in Flint victim of serial killer? When will police confirm it?
Is latest missing woman in Flint victim of serial killer? When will police confirm it?
Is latest missing woman in Flint victim of serial killer? When will police confirm it?
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
In a city with too many murders, could a serial killer stalk victims under the radar?
No community wants fear gripping its people by responding publicly to whispers about a potential serial killer lurking in the shadows. My decision is that it's time we shout it to the world that women on the south
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
In a city with too many murders, could a serial killer stalk victims under the radar?
No community wants fear gripping its people by responding publicly to whispers about a potential serial killer lurking in the shadows. My decision is that it's time we shout it to the world that women on the south side of Flint need to take extra precautions. A serial killer may be at work in your neighborhood. That's my message today in this space prior to shouting it to the world tomorrow morning on The Morning Gazette Radio Show via Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.
Law enforcement here was widely criticized back in the summer of 2010 when a serial killer was running around stabbing victims in Flint. They turned out to be racially motivated attacks by Elias Abuelazam. He killed five people among 18 attacks here in that scary summer of 2010.
The hulking, 6-foot-5 monster would drive the streets late at night in his green-colored Chevrolet TrailBlazer, searching for potential victims walking alone. He would ask men for directions, then stab them — usually in the chest or stomach.
It turns out there were five more stabbing victims in other areas that were tied to "Flint's Serial Stabber" as he was labeled. Three were in Leesburg, Virginia. One was in Toledo, Ohio. The other one was in his native home of Israel.
Why were law enforcement authorities so slow to recognize what was going on here? It's a question that still lingers, along with the question as to why nobody wanted to focus on the fact that Abuelazam's attacks were racially motivated? Prosecutors here never said so. Neither did police investigating the case at the time.
In Virginia, authorities were quick to say it. After only three attacks there, the stabber was profiled as doing it in a racially motivated pattern and the public was warned right away to avoid walking alone late at night.
How many of Flint's 18 stabbing victims may have been more careful — and possibly avoided Flint's Serial Stabber — if concerns had been shouted to the public earlier about his tactics?
Broome Park was a dumping ground for two women killed by Flint's latest serial killer. One went missing in August of 2017. A second disappeared in September 2017. Skulls of both women were later discovered in November of 2017 by a man walking his dog in the park there.
Police have said little about these two women. Our investigative team talked with people who work in the businesses up and down Fenton Road, near Atherton Road. Neighbors talked to us, too.
We developed a short list of suspects from who neighbors pointed fingers at during our search for justice. Not one had ever talked to police. That's disturbing. Or maybe it's to be expected in a city that has too much crime and not enough police.
One name that was mentioned by many as a man to investigate can be crossed off the list. He died. Others in the neighborhood described certain men or named various individuals tied to drugs and possible illegal human trafficking of women. It's an area known to be frequented by prostitutes with serious drug habits.
We're not sure about the lifestyle of the latest missing woman. All we know is that she was last known to be cleaning a house on Grand Traverse and was known to spend lots of time in the area of Fenton Road and Atherton Road on Flint's south side.
An alarming note is that we've determined she was cleaning the house of a man arrested more than 30 years ago for first degree criminal sexual conduct. We uncovered a recent photo of him and it matches the profile developed by our team while talking to people in the area about possible suspects who said this particular individual sold drugs to prostitutes in the area.
Another possible suspect's name we've forwarded to authorities may have been working as an accomplice with a serial killer who accepted a plea bargain last week in another state. (See related stories at left if reading on a laptop or PC, or scroll above to read it if using a Smart Phone
Both men's homes need to be searched, like yesterday. Perhaps this latest missing woman is still alive in one of them. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson hasn't yet responded to an early Saturday morning text about it. Lt. Brantley, Commander of the Michigan State Police Post on Corunna Road, called Sunday and said she was not aware of the latest missing woman. That's disturbing since she has been missing since Oct. 25 and EVERY police agency leader around these parts should have her photo taped to the dash board of every police vehicle in their fleet.
Lt. Brantley also complained about how short staffed they are, and she won't get an argument from me about needing more men and women in the State Police ranks. Sheriff Swanson also desperately needs more deputies.
Lt. Brantley called again today to say she had no missing person in her system by the name of Tracey Brownrigg who hasn't been seen since Oct. 25. A family member described the Flint Police Department as "f***ing worthless" and said the family has been working with Detective/Sergeant Miller at the State Police post in Flint Township. Lt. Brantley said Miller does not work for her and an attempt to reach him failed.
No matter who Miller works for, I stand behind my statement above that EVERY police agency leader in our area should have this latest missing woman's photo taped to the dash board of every police vehicle in their fleet.
---------------------------------------------------------------Mike Killbreath hosts The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekdays from 8 am until 10 am. He is also soon launching a new statewide syndicated TV show to be known as The Michigan Crusaders. He also hosts The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show every Sunday from 4 pm until 6 pm and regularly appears on The Michigan Sports Zone that airs daily at 7 pm and he also occasionally appears on The Daily Gazette Sports Night Show that airs every weekday evening from 6-7 pm on MetroFlintNewsTalkRadio.com. He has won statewide awards for both his political columns and sports columns during a 40-year career as a journalist. Killbreath has also won several statewide and national awards for investigative news reporting. You can E-mail Killbreath at MorningGazetteRadioShow@gmail.com, reach him via Messenger on his Facebook Page or by text on his cell phone at (810) 347-9803. The office number is (810) 771-8348.
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The Daily Gazette learns Flint's Deputy Mayor again facing potential charges
Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The Daily Gazette has learned that Flint's Deputy Mayor is once again facing potential criminal charges. Multiple reliable sources say the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office has issued a warrant to arrest DuVarl Murdock on charges of drunken drivin
© Crusader Communications Network Inc.
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — The Daily Gazette has learned that Flint's Deputy Mayor is once again facing potential criminal charges. Multiple reliable sources say the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office has issued a warrant to arrest DuVarl Murdock on charges of drunken driving and felony resisting arrest.
The Daily Gazette confirmed that Murdock was arrested during a September incident on Linden Road, near Corunna Road, in Flint Township. A patrol office from the Flint Township Police Department was assisted by a trooper from the Michigan State Police post on Corunna Road, across the street from the incident.
Genesee County Deputy Assistant Prosecutor John Potbury would not confirm nor deny The Daily Gazette's report about the warrant request when reached Monday (Nov. 1, 2021).
Potbury said a police report indicated that the case was being handled by the Michigan State Police post on Corunna Road in Flint Township. Yvonne Brantley, Commander of the State Police post on Corunna Road, was not available to comment on Monday. A desk sergeant said Brantley won't be back to the Flint Township post until Wednesday (Nov. 3, 2021).
Multiple sources at Flint City Hall say Murdock has not been there in recent days.
It's not the first time State Police have had Murdock under investigation. The Daily Gazette reported earlier this year that we had learned State Police made a warrant request in a case where Flint's 1st Ward City Councilman Eric Mays accused Murdock of "beating him up" at Rube's Bar on Chevrolet Avenue in Flint. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton took about a year to decide what to do and ultimately decided not to bring charges.
Councilman Mays remains upset by the situation and when reached Monday to be told about the latest trouble for Murdock, he said: "If they read about him resisting arrest, maybe they will understand how he was the aggressor against me." Multiple witnesses told State Police and The Daily Gazette that Mays never swung a punch at Murdock who attacked the councilman after they had words near the bar at Rube's.
The Morning Gazette Radio Show initially reported the bar fight when Councilman Mays called as he was being released from the hospital. Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's office didn't respond to a request for a comment from The Morning Gazette Radio Show but later issued a press release after Detroit radio stations picked up the story. The press release was directed to all local media except The Morning Gazette Radio Show that had made the request for a comment about the accusations by Mays against Murdock.
Councilman Mays has often criticized the mayor for what he had called "an absolutely untrue press release" that said Murdock was defending himself. "He attacked me," Mays said during an appearance on The Morning Gazette Radio Show. "You can't go around beating up a city councilman," Mays added. "Is the prosecutor condoning that kind of behavior? The State Police talked to witnesses and asked for a warrant to be issued. A warrant should have been issued to arrest Murdock."
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley at the podium with Deputy Mayor DuVarl Murdock on the right next to a "Fight Blight" press conference shortly after Murdock was hired by the mayor.
Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
(This story has been updated since it was first broadcast on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio)
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT TWP. (CCN) — Embattled Flint Township Clerk Kathy Funk has resigned to become the new Elections Supervisor for the Genesee County Clerk's office. She will begin working for John Gleason in two weeks on Nov
(This story has been updated since it was first broadcast on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio)
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT TWP. (CCN) — Embattled Flint Township Clerk Kathy Funk has resigned to become the new Elections Supervisor for the Genesee County Clerk's office. She will begin working for John Gleason in two weeks on Nov. 16.
The news was first delivered via a breaking news story at 5:55 pm on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.
Funk's resignation was reported about 30 minutes later after the public comment portion of Monday's (Nov. 1, 2021) Flint Township Board of Trustees meeting. Her colleague and friend, Township Trustee Tom Klee, read part of a resignation letter from Funk to announce her decision.
Klee and Funk were first elected together five years ago and re-elected last November.
Shortly after being reached by The Daily Gazette for a comment, Funk took to Facebook and released the following statement: "I can make it official as word has officially gotten out. I have resigned from my position as Clerk of Flint Township, effective (Nov. 16 at 8 am). I have taken a position as Elections Supervisor for Genesee County. I have enjoyed serving the residents of Flint Township in my capacity. However, over the last almost two years, it has become abundantly clear that certain members of the Township Board would rather play political games with the department that is supposed to ensure the most fundamental act of democracy — voting. I look forward to serving all the residents and clerks/deputy clerks across the county in my new role."
Funk has been locked in a battle with fellow board members over what she has called a short staffed situation because of funding disputes for her office during the past several months.
Funk is also being investigated by the Michigan State Police after a break-in at her office. Sources say Funk has also complained to State Police that nobody should have been allowed inside her locked office at any time.
Michigan State Police officials have so far made no public comments about the now two-year-old investigation into the allegations from both sides. Yvonne Brantley, Commander of the State Police post on Corunna Road in Flint Township, was not available to comment on Monday. A desk sergeant said Brantley won't be back to the office until Wednesday (Nov. 3, 2021).
Funk told The Daily Gazette shortly after the Metro Flint News/Talk Report about her decision to resign: "(I had) to get away from all the political games at Flint (Township)."
Funk also took a slight shot at her colleagues on the Flint Township board, adding, "Now to sit back and watch Flint (Township) appoint a replacement and fully staff the office and provide all the training in the world."
As to the controversy surrounding the 2019 break-in at her office, Funk said: "The one into the elections storage room? The one Karyn Miller thinks she’s in charge of? It’s still ongoing but the trooper said they haven’t found anything. MSP refuses to investigate the blatant break-in of the elections specialist office by the Deputy Supervisor and a detective from the Flint (Township) Police (Department) to get a key to another door. Never mind the sign on the door that said 'Authorized Election Personnel Only.' They could have just broken into the office they needed in or called me on the phone."
Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller has not issued any comments during the past two years during the investigation by State Police.
Doreen Fulcher has been the Elections Supervisor in Genesee County for many years. County Commissioner Bryant Nolden said Gleason "has the ability to hire whoever he wants" but the Flint commissioner added that he was unaware that Fulcher had left her position until checking with County Administrator Josh Freeman. "Josh says she left earlier this year to take a position with the (Genesee County) Circuit Court," Commissioner Nolden reported.
County Board Chairman Mark Young of Grand Blanc Township confirmed that Gleason has full authority to "hire and fire" staff in his office. "This would be in accordance to union contracts," Commissioner Young said. The county board does, however, set the budget for Gleason's office.
Funk told The Daily Gazette she was looking forward to joining Gleason's staff, saying, " I get along very well with John and his deputy, Leslie (Raleigh). So I’m really looking forward to it."
Gleason was reached via text and said, "She hasn't been hired."
One source who asked not to be named also told The Daily Gazette that Fulcher left "because she simply couldn't take it any more" working for Gleason."
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint Township Clerk Kathy Funk who has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Nov. 16.
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Embattled Flint Twp. Clerk resigns to take job as Elections Supervisor for County Clerk
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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's election office mum on illegal mailers in Flint races
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — A deputy for the Genesee County Sheriff's Department rose Wednesday (Oct. 27, 2021) to blast a $29,000 pay raise for a county official while he says deputies remain under paid, compared to law enforcement at other departments in nearby communities.
Deputy Brian Bigelow drew attention t
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — A deputy for the Genesee County Sheriff's Department rose Wednesday (Oct. 27, 2021) to blast a $29,000 pay raise for a county official while he says deputies remain under paid, compared to law enforcement at other departments in nearby communities.
Deputy Brian Bigelow drew attention to a $29,000 pay raise for Josh Freeman who is the county's director of administration. He will take on a new role, too, as community corrections director.
"I would like to personally applaud Josh Freeman on his $29,000 per year raise," Bigelow said. "At first, I thought it was ridiculous that while Genesee County deputies who run the jail, courts, keep our streets safe and provide paramedic services are being told that a fair contract isn't possible, yet an administrator would be given such a large raise. Now, I understand that he's going to need that raise because soon he's gonna have to put on a uniform and join the under-sheriff and detectives who have been forced at times to run floors in the jail because of our lack of staffing."
Deputy Bigelow said morale among deputies is low because "16-hour shifts every working day are expected" and he added, "We don't have people. We do not have the pay or incentives to attract anyone to the Genesee County Sheriff's office... Our standards have dropped so low that the only requirement to apply is a GED, yet we still can't hire or retain people. We are tired, over-worked, under-paid and I've never seen morale so low."
The county board's two Republicans — Shaun Shumaker of Fenton Township and Meredith Davis of Flushing Township — were the only two commissioners who voted against giving Freeman the pay hike. It was approved by a 6-2 vote (County Board Chairman Mark Young of Grand Blanc was absent) as part of accepting a $492,470 grant for the county's Community Corrections Office that develops the state's re-entry program here for prisoners and prepares the Genesee County Jail's reimbursement billings to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Supporters of the plan said Freeman taking on the added duties as community corrections director will save money for the county board by not needing to hire a new administrator for the role. The pay hike approved by the board boosted the former long-time Flint City Councilman's salary to $129,000 per year. He previously worked as a parts store clerk at Brown & Sons on Flint's east side while serving as Flint's 4th Ward councilman.
Shumaker blasted the idea of boosting Freeman's paycheck to $129,000 annually, saying, "We allow the administration to dictate what we pay them and the job duties they take on. It disgusts me. I think this is hidden. I think it’s shameful.”
Bigelow wasn't the only Sheriff's Department employee blasting Freeman's pay hike. Todd Lanning, President of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department union representing captains and lieutenants, called it “a slap in the face to every union employee in this county.”
Lanning's union is one of three representing Genesee County Sheriff’s Department employees in negotiations for new contracts with the county board. Sheriff Chris Swanson stood in front of all three union leaders at the podium last week before the county commissioners when urging them to be fair during contract talks. No previous sheriff in county history has ever publicly stood with union presidents to support giving them pay raises. "They are heroes," Swanson said.
“We have asked for nothing but fairness during negotiations,” Lanning added. He also said that giving the huge pay raise to Freeman "sends the wrong message to employees in a city founded on the principle of organized labor.”
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Genesee County Sheriff's Department Deputy Brian Bigelow who spoke at Wednesday's Genesee County Board of Commissioners meeting about a $28,000 pay raise for a county official while deputies remain under paid and losing staff.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — A spokesman for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told The Morning Gazette Radio Show that no investigation into illegal mailers can be done in Flint City Council races because no formal complaint has been received.
Races in six wards for Flint City Council seats had homes bom
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — A spokesman for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told The Morning Gazette Radio Show that no investigation into illegal mailers can be done in Flint City Council races because no formal complaint has been received.
Races in six wards for Flint City Council seats had homes bombarded with mailers from an illegal campaign committee. Dave Linder of the Genesee County Elections Division confirmed that no paperwork has been filed for the Flint Community Coalition that was listed on mailers directed to voters in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th wards. The fake committee used an address of P.O. Box 13528, Flint, MI 48501.
Only Quincy Murphy has publicly denounced the illegal mailers among the candidates supported by them. He said during the public comment portion of a Flint City Council meeting that he had no knowledge about who was behind mailing out flyers supporting him in his race for the 3rd Ward seat. Murphy and A.C. Dumas are on the ballot and Richard Jones is a write-in candidate.
Political consultant Dave Forsmark also noted a fake union bug on campaign mailers against two of his clients in Flint City Council races.
The Daily Gazette is investigating who is behind the campaign mailers against Forsmark's candidates, and four others in other wards for Flint City Council seats. The flyers included a line that says they were "Paid for by the Flint Community Coalition, P.O. Box 13528, Flint, MI 48501." The Morning Gazette Radio Show revealed last week that no such committee has ever been registered with the Genesee County Clerk Elections Division or filed as a political action committee in state campaign finance records.
Forsmark appeared recently on The Morning Gazette Radio Show and said the Michigan Secretary of State's office "should come down hard on people who break the law like this." Forsmark added: "The committee is not registered as a PAC and it isn't registered in Genesee County campaign finance records. It could be a $10,000 fine in each race because it's obviously illegal money funneled into these races."
It is illegal for any printer to use the union bug if they are not union printers and a 1983 civil case established steep financial penalties for anyone illegally using it. In addition, a mail fraud charge is a felony that includes up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
Forsmark, the long-time owner of Flushing-based Winning Strategies, is helping Judy Priestly against Flint City Council President Kate Fields in the 4th Ward and Forsmark is helping challenger Dennis Pfeiffer against 8th Ward incumbent Allan Griggs. Forsmark has done numerous local, state and congressional elections over the years, and says he has never encountered any individuals "bold enough to use a fake union bug."
Campaign mailers supporting Murphy, Fields and Griggs were joined by additional flyers mailed out in support of Jerri Winfrey-Carter in the 5th Ward, Claudia Perkins-Milton in the 6th Ward and Monica Galloway in the 7th Ward.
Steve Dawes, Director of the UAW Region 1D office in Flint, told The Daily Gazette that none of the candidates have received UAW endorsements. Sam Muma, President of the Greater Flint AFL-CIO, has also confirmed that his union hasn't endorsed any candidates in Flint City Council races.
The only union endorsement so far has gone to one of Forsmark's candidates — Pfeiffer who is supported by the Flint Police Officers Association, according to the union's president, Kevin Smith. He said Pfeiffer is the "only pro-police candidate."
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Judge Joseph Farah 'un-silences' Flint City Council President Kate Fields
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office responds to radio show story on illegal mailers
Judge Joseph Farah 'un-silences' Flint City Council President Kate Fields
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah ruled Monday morning (Oct. 25, 2021) that Flint City Council President Kate Fields can preside over tonight's meeting.
Fields had been censured on Sept. 28 by a 5-2 vote of her colleagues who allowed her to continue voting but not comme
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Farah ruled Monday morning (Oct. 25, 2021) that Flint City Council President Kate Fields can preside over tonight's meeting.
Fields had been censured on Sept. 28 by a 5-2 vote of her colleagues who allowed her to continue voting but not comment during city council meetings or committee meetings for 30 days.
Judge Farah said Fields "was not only robbed of the ability to (preside) as (council) president ... but the ability to act as a councilperson" when deciding Monday morning to continue a temporary restraining order enjoining the city council from enforcing its Sept. 28 resolution censuring Fields. He set an Oct. 22 hearing for the matter when allowing Fields to return to talking at an Oct. 18 meeting. The Oct. 22 hearing was delayed, however, when three city council members failed to file responses in court.
Fields sued the council, claiming her First Amendment rights were being infringed when she was “silenced” for 30 days by the Sept. 28 council resolution. Judge Farah set the hearing after an ex parte request by Fields for injunctive relief. The judge gave her temporary relief until the Oct. 22 hearing could be held on the matter, then continued the TRO with Monday's decision.
Council President Fields came under fire when muting the phone of Councilman Eric Mays during a regular meeting a day before the Sept. 28 special meeting called by Councilman Mays and Councilwoman Monica Galloway. Fields had refused to allow her ruling to be appealed when Councilwoman Galloway attempted to do so. Galloway, Councilman Maurice Davis and Councilwoman Jerri Winfrey-Carter then left the meeting to leave the council president without a quorum to end the Sept. 27 meeting.
Two council members (3rd Ward Councilman Santino Guerra and 9th Ward Councilwoman Eva Worthing) did not attend the special meeting and one other (8th Ward Councilman Allan Griggs) was three hours late. Griggs was in time, however, to vote on the censure and supported Fields. She also voted not to censure herself. Mays, Galloway, Davis, Winfrey-Carter and Councilman Herb Winfrey voted to censure Fields.
Galloway made the initial motion to censure Fields for 30 days to stay away from council meetings, but Mays amended it to allow her to vote. "I'm being kind to you when you were not to me," Mays said in reference to the fact Fields led a 2019 vote to censure Mays for 30 days when he wasn't allowed to vote or attend meetings.
Fields promised to take action if her colleagues voted to censure her for activity she said was justified. She ignored a "point of order" from Mays and ordered his phone muted after he continued with "point of order" requests.
"Mr. Mays would simply not cease talking," she said. "I had no choice but to mute him and the chair's decision can't be appealed." She added that City Attorney Angela Wheeler had previously told her this was the case. Wheeler was not at the Sept 28 special meeting and the city's legal department representative (Jack Beltzer) agreed with Councilwoman Galloway's interpretation of council rules.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint City Council President Kate Fields.
Recall petition language filed for 3rd time against Davison school board member
Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
DAVISON (CCN) — Proposed language on a recall petition has been filed for a third time against a Davison school board member. The Genesee County Election Commission will meet on Oct. 4 at 8:30 am to decide if the third attempt will fly against Davison Board of Education Trustee Matthew Smith.
The thr
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
DAVISON (CCN) — Proposed language on a recall petition has been filed for a third time against a Davison school board member. The Genesee County Election Commission will meet on Oct. 4 at 8:30 am to decide if the third attempt will fly against Davison Board of Education Trustee Matthew Smith.
The three-member commission has twice rejected language submitted by Jenessa Phillips who used the assistance of an attorney on the last attempt.
A member of her group targeting Smith for a recall said Alec Gibbs worked for them "pro bono" and wrote the language that was rejected by a 2-1 vote. Two substitute members of the committee out-voted regular member Deb Cherry. Filling in were Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Deputy Clerk Leslie Raleigh. Cherry, who is County Treasurer, joined a 3-0 vote to reject the first proposed language to recall Smith with County Clerk / Register of Deeds John Gleason and Chief Probate Judge Jenny Barkey.
Proposed recall language was turned down the first time because committee members said it was "not clear and concise."
The second time committee members rejected language submitted by Gibbs on behalf of Phillips, they said an alleged victim was not identified in criminal charges cited against Smith.
The latest filing was tweaked slightly by Gibbs and Phillips to now read: “The State of Michigan has charged Matthew Michael Smith with malicious use of telecommunications services.”
Smith, who is also the newly-elected Chairman of the Genesee County Republican Party, faces an upcoming criminal trial in Genesee County 67th District Court. The trial was scheduled for Sept. 16 but Judge William Crawford delayed it until Oct. 25 after defense attorney Albert Zerka filed a motion to quit the case, citing irreconcilable differences with Smith. He told Judge Crawford that "Smith forced me to file this motion" after telling him three weeks ago to get a new attorney.
Zerka said he wanted his motion granted to be allowed to withdraw from the case, telling Judge Crawford: "I'm worried he will come back here on Oct. 25 with no attorney and I can somehow get dragged back into this case... I don't see another attorney taking this case."
Judge Crawford granted Zerka's request.
Zerka was upset a day earlier when confirming to The Morning Gazette Radio Show that he was filing a motion to withdraw. When learning that Smith said he asked Zerka to withdraw from the case, Zerka responded: "Show up in court tomorrow and we can straighten it out and you can see who is being truthful."
Smith, who is a Davison Board of Education trustee, told reporters afterward that he wanted an attorney who can devote attention to his case and again stressed that he is "not guilty" of the charges alleged against him from a campaign incident last year in northern Michigan. He was accused of lying to police about an allegation that he had called and threatened a northern Michigan official while helping her challenger with his campaign. Police reports indicate that Smith initially denied calling the woman, then told police a friend "must have spoofed his phone" after presented with evidence that his cell number appeared on her phone. The Houghton County clerk's race candidate he was helping then confessed to police that he was on the phone call made by Smith and said it was Smith's idea.
A forensic analysis of Smith's cell phone was then done and confirmed that Smith's phone had indeed been used to call the woman. Smith and the witness told police, however, that no threats were made against her. Smith was subsequently charged by the State Attorney General's Office and faces up to six months in jail, if convicted on a misdemeanor count for malicious use of telecommunication services to threaten physical harm or damage to Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly. (Click here to see related stories about Matthew Smith)
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Davison Board of Education Trustee Matthew Smith who has been targeted for a recall for a third time.
Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — There was high drama in the court room of Genesee County 67th District Court Judge William Crawford Thursday morning (Sept. 16, 2021) when a scheduled criminal trial for the newly-elected chairman of the Genesee County Republican Party didn't happen.
Defense attorney Albert Zerka filed
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CCN Executive Editor
FLINT (CCN) — There was high drama in the court room of Genesee County 67th District Court Judge William Crawford Thursday morning (Sept. 16, 2021) when a scheduled criminal trial for the newly-elected chairman of the Genesee County Republican Party didn't happen.
Defense attorney Albert Zerka filed a motion to quit the case, citing irreconcilable differences with client Matthew Smith. He told Judge Crawford that "Smith forced me to file this motion" after telling him three weeks ago to get a new attorney.
Judge Crawford granted a motion to delay the trial and set Oct. 25 as a pre-trial date after calling Smith to the podium and hearing Smith tell the judge that he would find a new attorney.
Zerka said he wanted his motion granted to be allowed to withdraw from the case, telling Judge Crawford: "I'm worried he will come back here on Oct. 25 with no attorney and I can somehow get dragged back into this case... I don't see another attorney taking this case."
Judge Crawford granted Zerka's request.
Zerka was upset a day earlier when confirming to The Morning Gazette Radio Show that he was filing a motion to withdraw. When learning that Smith said he asked Zerka to withdraw from the case, Zerka responded: "Show up in court tomorrow and we can straighten it out and you can see who is being truthful."
Smith, who is a Davison Board of Education trustee, told reporters afterward that he wanted an attorney who can devote attention to his case.
Smith was accused of lying to police about an allegation that he had called and threatened a northern Michigan official while helping her challenger with his campaign. Police reports indicate that Smith initially denied calling the woman, then told police a friend "must have spoofed his phone" after presented with evidence that his cell number appeared on her phone. The candidate Smith was helping then confessed to police that he was on the phone call made by Smith and said it was Smith's idea. A forensic analysis of Smith's cell phone was then done and confirmed that Smith's phone had indeed been used to call the woman. Smith and the witness told police, however, that no threats were made against her.
Smith was subsequently charged by the State Attorney General's Office on a misdemeanor count for malicious use of telecommunication services to threaten physical harm or damage to Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly. He faces up to six months in jail, if convicted.
At a press conference on the sidewalk outside the court house on Thursday, Smith again told media members that he "never threatened" the woman. A protest outside the court building also drew his ire and Smith told reporters: "They are here from the Genesee County Democrat Party board.... This whole thing is a political hit job by our county clerk (former State Senator and current County Clerk / Register of Deeds John Gleason)... I'm not guilty. I didn't threaten this woman and they have no evidence that I did. I can't wait to get all this behind me and clear my name because I'm not guilty. I never threatened this woman and I'm looking forward to get this out of my life."
Smith refused to answer one reporter's question about whether or not he ever made a phone call to the Houghton County clerk as alleged.
The protest included five women carrying signs. Two of the signs said Smith terrorizes women and he responded to them by saying, "I have never terrorized a woman" and rattling off special causes he has helped with over the years to raise money for women, including with Flint Area Right to Life where he has served as a board member.
Bobbie Walton of Davison said none of the five protesters were organized or joined by party officials from the county's Democrat Party as alleged by Smith. "We were here today to show support for the victim," Walton said. "She needs to know people support her. If Matthew Smith says he doesn't terrorize women, I disagree. I've talked with the victim. I know what he did. She spent weeks after the incident scared in her own home, stacking furniture in front of her door every night when she went to bed — making sure nobody could break in and hurt her."
Smith blasted the local media for its coverage of his case, saying three members of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners also had recall hearings on Wednesday "but only a school board member's recall gets covered except in one story by MLive that mentioned the others."
The Morning Gazette Radio Show and The Daily Gazette have each reported extensively on the recalls filed against County Commissioners Ellen Ellenberg of Burton, Mark Young of Grand Blanc and Gary Peppin of Davison. In fact, all three recalls were reported a few days ahead of stories about them published by MLive.
An attorney for Crusader Communications Network Inc. is writing a letter to demand a retraction from Smith about his untrue comments.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is defense attorney Albert Zerka of Flint Township.
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Attorney Albert Zerka quits criminal case against county Republican Party chairman
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