FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
March 11, 2024
Contact: Denzel McCampbell, (313) 400-0298 , denzel@progressmichigan.org
Ottawa County Transparency Lawsuit Headed to MI Supreme Court
Residents’ lawsuit unsuccessful in Court of Appeals, will be escalated to MI Supreme Court
OTTAWA COUNTY – On Monday, at the kickoff of Sunshine Week, Progress Michigan announced that a lawsuit the organization has been supporting in the fight for transparency in Ottawa County has been appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court. The lawsuit came about after board members associated with right-wing group Ottawa Impact appeared to violate the Open Meetings Act and conducted public business behind closed doors.
Since March 2023, Progress Michigan has been supporting a lawsuit against the Ottawa County commissioners alongside local plaintiffs after Ottawa Impact made major decisions behind closed doors that impacted county employees and the structure of government, before they even took office.
“This lawsuit is about so much more than just the actions of a handful of far-right commissioners who attempted to radically restructure local government without public input,” said Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan. “It’s about setting a precedent for all local officials across the state going forward that they cannot do the public’s business behind closed doors.”
Many of the changes made by Ottawa Impact, including the firing of the county’s public health officer and hiring a controversial county executive have since gone completely sideways on the far-right group, but others, like dismantling the county’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department are still in effect.
“We’ve been part of transparency lawsuits at the Michigan Supreme Court before and we believe this case is worthy to take as far as it can go. From the state to local level, the fight for transparency is one we’re committed to seeing through to the end every time,” Inglot continued.
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