By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Saugatuck City Council member Garnet Lewis pleaded guilty via Zoom Friday before Allegan County 57th District Judge Joseph Skocelas to misdemeanor state election charges of gathering candidate petition signatures without reporting she was the circulator.
Lewis agreed to a $500 fine plus $325 in court costs payable over six months, at which point further prosecution would be dropped. She averted an Aug. 15 jury trial in so doing.
Through her lawyer, Lewis issued a statement saying in part:
Although every signature was valid and from a registered voter, she neglected to sign the petition as its circulator. She was ultimately charged with a misdemeanor under an obscure election law statute that required her to report her failure to do so.
In an effort to put this issue behind her, said the lawyer’s statement, Ms. Lewis elected to waive her legal defenses and pled guilty today to the misdemeanor charge. The plea agreement defers judgment for a probationary period, after which the charges will be dismissed.
“I agree with the delayed sentence,” her lawyer quotes Lewis saying, “and am committed to demonstrating that I won’t make the same mistake again. I look forward to seeing the case dismissed after this probationary period.
“Even with years of experience circulating nominating petitions, mistakes can happen,” she said. “I clearly made one. This process has been an expensive lesson I will not repeat.
“I look forward to running as a candidate for Saugatuck city council and continuing the work of delivering good government for the people of the city that I call home,” Lewis said.
Mayor Scott Dean,who assumed that council- elected role from Lewis last November after re-election with other successful signature gatherers over past-mayor candidates Catherine Simon and Jane Verplank, said the court outcome was correct.
“The mark of a true leader,” Dean said, “is to have the courage to admit mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. I’m pleased that councilmember Lewis and at least three other candidates are running for council in November.
“In an era where negative campaigning and personal attacks have infected even nonpartisan local races, it is refreshing to see that people in this community still have the courage to put themselves out there in the service of our city,” the mayor said.
Lewis indeed had prior experience circulating nominating petitions. The former Saginaw County Democratic Party chair ran for the 98th District Michigan House seat in 2008 and again unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2014 and 2018 before being elected in 2019 to the first of two 2-year terms on city council here.
She and also still-current council member Holly Leo joined incumbent Chris Peterson winning in 2019, besting Steven Boyd, Todd Hoskins and Fr. G. Corwin Stoppel.
In 2020 Lewis and Leo were joined by first-termers Dean and Lauren Stanton voted into office, joining incumbents Mark Bekken and Ken Trester. Longtime council members Barry Johnson and Verplank fell shy, as did Hoskins and Angela Carrion who ran alongside the former pair.
Bekken, Trester, Johnson and Verplank were often listed on signs together, as were their four opponents on placards calling for “fresh ideas” and a more-accelerated council decision-making process.
Popular tides appeared turning. The old majority, under 14-year city manager Kirk Harrier, was criticized, fairly or not, for opposing connecting the recreational Blue Star Trail from Saugatuck Township to Douglas through a quarter-mile city stretch north of the Blue Star/Kalamazoo River bridge.
Critics also noted several “old guard” members had led opposition to Saugatuck Public Schools’ May 7, 2019, second building bond request — their right and perhaps even duty as taxpaying citizens who felt the $39.95 ask was excessive, but as public officials questioned for their prominent role doing so. Voters nixed that ask by a narrow 1,044-1,041 vote.
On March 10, 2020, they passed SPS’s third request, this for $35.6 million, 1,652-1,084. Renovations at Douglas Elementary are now largely done; middle/high school improvements are continuing and nearing completion too.
In the meantime, the then council/staff became ensnared in costly floating homes litigation, still ongoing, with Dune Ridge developer Paul Heule.
Harrier Sept. 1, 2020, gave 30 days’ notice. Late that month city taxpayers sweetened his departure by $75,096.75 spread over 27 months of payment for 14 years’ worth of unused vacation time owed him per contract signed with the former council.
“Such a rollover is almost unheard of in the corporate and academic world,” said Lewis, who has worked in both, locally as owner of Isabel’s Market and Eatery in Douglas and owner of the commercial real estate investment operation Vigano LLC.
“I agree that, from the outside world, this is a very rich payout,” said then Mayor Trester. “But that’s what his contract calls for.”
Harrier soon after leaving was hired as Otsego County Road Commission manager, responsible for 1,137 miles of county roads plus maintaining 188 miles of muti-lane state highways, including I-75 leading north to the Mackinaw Bridge, at a $90,667.20 salary plus benefits.
Leo and Lewis were returned to office in November 2021 along with former council member and mayor Russ Gardner, the top vote getter. All ran for the three seats unopposed.
Last November’s disputed-petition election saw Dean, Stanton and Helen Baldwin, joining council newcomer Gregory Muncey winning. The prior three and Mark Miller were advertised running together, but Miller, a busy emergency room physician, dropped out after former mayors Bill Hess, Peg Sanford and Gardner complained Oct. 7 to Michigan State Police about petition-gathering violations.
Verplank and Simon, running on a “Keep Saugatuck Charming” platform, were defeated. Incumbents Bekken (40 years) and Trester chose not to run again. “Things have become too factionalized,” Trester told The Commercial Record.
MSP Detective Sgt. Todd Workman interviewed all seven candidates, went over copies of their petitions and submitted his report to the Michigan Attorney General’s office. Miller and Lewis were arraigned April 3 on charges of failure to report a violation on nominating/initiative petitions. The misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and $500 fine. Both were freed on $1,000 bonds.
The CR April 20, 2022, carried a letter by Sanford, Hess and Gardner noting all petitions carry the appendage, “Warning – A circulator knowingly making a false statement in the above certificate, a person not a circulator who signs as a circulator, or a person who signs a name other than his or her own as a circulator is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Not “obscure” to them, nor evidently Democratic AG Dana Nessel’s office.
Lewis, appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Feb. 21 to the Michigan Travel Commission, resigned that post following her and Miller’s arraignments, sharing on her Facebook page, “Recently, I have become embroiled in a legal matter that I fear will be a distraction to you and the good works of the Michigan Travel Commission.
“While I intend to vigorously defend myself,” Lewis went on, “I believe for the good of all I should step down from the commission, effective immediately.”
Miller July 6 pleaded guilty to nominating petition false statement/circulation and nolo contendre for failure to report, then his case was closed.
Lewis has six months to pay but just more than three to seek re-election. Will she resign as result Friday’s plea, the CR asked her.
“Bet I can guess who’s spreading that one. Hell no!” she said.