More closed sessions; no explanations

City still refuses to answer yes or no question

 

IMLAY CITY — City officials continue to dodge answering questions about an on-going situation that involves city hall and the police department.

Instead of making people, including city commissioners, aware of a change in personnel within the police department several weeks ago, many found out the Chief of Police, Bret Selby, had requested time away from his position after a story ran in the Tri-City Times.

City Manager Craig Horton and Mayor Barbara Yockey have both been asked a seemingly simple yes or no question – has Chief Selby submitted a letter requesting to come back to work? – and both have refused to acknowledge the question, despite being asked more than once.

City officials claim they cannot say anything, “due to an on-going investigation.”

However, the investigation they reference, performed by the Michigan State Police as requested, has been closed for several weeks and in the hands of the Lapeer County Prosecutor’s Office for review of any possible charges.

The investigation revolves around a police incident from last July involving two officers, one of which is still employed by the city. The investigation is not focused on Chief Selby, according to multiple sources.

Horton hired a former member of the Warren Police Department to run the Imlay City Department on an interim basis.

Last week, commissioners, Horton, Clerk Dawn Sawicki-Franz and an attorney representing the city, once again went in to closed session to discuss a “labor issue.”

In speaking with audience members waiting in the hallway to go back in to the regular session meeting, the latest closed session appears to have created even more distrust and frustration between elected officials and the public.

Resident Earl Gass spoke to the commission during public comment time, asking why there is no transparency. What is the city covering up? He said, “I don’t understand what is going on. There is no openness here. You are wasting our time here. You can do better. You are shutting us (the public) out.”

In other commission news, Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Tanis, who ran the meeting in the absence of Mayor Yockey, stepped down from his seated position on the platform and went to the podium to give an update on the Community Center (former DPW garage) renovations.

“We are now fully hooked up to DTE. They had a couple of poles to take out, but for the most part, the electricity is there to the building and we are able to move forward with work inside.”

Tanis said crews have installed lights and the finished ceiling along with furnaces.

“We are still working on the walls and how they are going to be done,” Tanis told the commission. “We also need to get the restrooms done. But, overall, it’s coming along the best we can and we’re making progress.”

So far, the City and Downtown Development Authority have spent $100,000 each to get the building to it’s current condition. Last year, Tanis Builders put a new roof on the building, installed two eight foot overhead glass doors and replaced the exterior walls with new steel. Further meetings will be held to discuss how the interior of the building will be finished and what additional costs could be.