SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI -- The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners never got a chance to remove Jeremy Root from his position as chairman of the board during their special meeting Sunday, Aug. 1.
Root did it himself, resigning his chairmanship but not his position as a commissioner, after a failed attempt to give COVID-19 relief funds to elected officials, including $25,000 to himself.
More than 200 residents crowded a community meeting called to consider a reorganization of the board Sunday, blasting the seven-member commission for giving American Rescue Plan hazard pay to themselves and other elected officials while lower-level employees were given as little as $1,000.
Root failed to show for the meeting, but his letter of resignation as chairman was read, eliciting cheers and jeers from citizens, who criticized the entire board for the vote that allowed the distribution to take place.
“You’re not just an embarrassment to Shiawassee County, you’re an embarrassment to the country,” said Daniel Law, a member of the Owosso City Council. “This whole county government needs major reform … The integrity of the board is gone. There is no way to return it.”
Owosso resident Erin Ibarra called for a deeper probe into the county commission’s past actions given the results of the COVID-19 hazard pay.
“This county and every taxpayer has suffered at the hands of the good old boys long enough,” said Ibarra, who was among those who called for an outside investigation of past county business.
Commissioners accepted Root’s resignation and appointed Gregory Brodeur, a first-term commissioner, as their new chairman in a unanimous vote with Root and Commissioners Gary Holzhausen and Cindy L. Garber missing the vote.
“Under ordinary circumstances, I would never consider being chairman of this board but these are very extraordinary circumstances as you know,” Brodeur said Sunday. “I have only been on the board for seven months. I am in no way the best candidate to chair this board given my experience...
“I understand the upset that’s going on. It will be my goal that this board will no longer be run based on personality. This board must be run based on professionalism where all commissioners get the same information, where the public as much as possible is informed of things, and where we don’t have any -- whether it’s in reality or appearance -- hiding” of information.
Brodeur and Commissioner Marlene Webster had each called for Root’s resignation last week after a vote to provide hazard pay for county employees evolved into a top-heavy distribution of the ARP funds, which were designed to allow hazard pay to low-income workers who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and essential workers who have faced the greatest risk of exposure.
MLive-The Flint Journal has been unable to reach Root for comment on his involvement in the distributions, but County Coordinator Brian Boggs has told MLive-The Flint Journal previously that he made the decision of how much most employees would receive while Root “and a couple of commissioners” decided how much each of the seven commissioners would receive.
Root was among six top officials in the county initially given the maximum allowable hazard pay -- $25,000 -- while other commissioners received $10,000 or $5,000.
Since the distribution occurred, all elected officials in the county have said they have or will return the payments after county Prosecutor Scott Koerner announced he would return the $12,500 he was awarded and concluded that the payments to elected officials violated the Michigan Constitution.
Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Mark W. Latchana has also approved a preliminary injunction tied to a lawsuit claiming Shiawassee County commissioners violated the Open Meetings Act in awarding the hazard pay. The injunction requires any employee who received more than $5,000 in hazard pay to return it until the commissioners make specific distributions in a public meeting.
Latchana was assigned to handle the Open Meetings Act lawsuit after Shiawassee Circuit Judge Matthew J. Stewart recused himself from hearing the case because court employees who work for him were among employees who received the hazard pay from the county.
Read more on MLive:
Shiawassee County commissioners give themselves $65K in COVID-19 hazard pay
Shiawassee County elected officials agree to return COVID-19 hazard payments
Shiawassee commissioners could remove board chairman at special meeting Sunday