CADILLAC — Longtime Cadillac City Council member Stephen King, now speaking out for the first time after his surprise resignation from the city council Monday night.
King resigned effective immediately, after the council voted to select a new mayor to replace Carla Filkins, who abruptly stepped down on February 12th amid several controversies and what we’re told were credible death threats.
King said that after a series of votes kept ending in a dead lock, the council finally got enough support to appoint mayor pro Tem Tiyi Schippers in a 3-1 vote. The dissenting vote belonging to King.
He said that’s when he realized the change he was hoping for, wasn’t going to happen.
“It’s the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over, in this case with different issues and not getting a different result. If I could have stayed on and thought I could effectuate change, I would have,” King said.
He said he decided to call it quits after he says a council member folded, giving Schippers enough support to make her mayor.
“I was shocked by Council Member [Bryan] Elenbaas’ flip flop in being willing to take the time to do what was necessary to pick the right person. I think he stated that he didn’t want to sit there for three hours, so he simply voted for Mayor Schippers. Which, again, I think we have to have fortitude to do what’s right for the citizens, whether we have to sit there for an hour or three,” said King.
A move King disagrees with.
“I believe that we needed someone from outside of the council to take that position for the city to have any credibility with all the issues going on,” said King.
Issues he has brought up himself with the council, but he said it’s fallen on deaf ears.
He said for years, he’s spoken out about violation of their charter, the city manager Marcus Peccia’s lack of performance, and council members not holding Peccia accountable.
“I am not going to sit on that board and in any way pretend I endorse those decisions. And there is no sign that that’s going to change with the current members of council,” said King.
King says that is the role of the council.
“We are a manager run city, not a mayor run city. It’s ceremonial. It’s one of five council members, all of whom have equal votes in our job, to make sure the charter’s being followed. And our job is to manage the manager, and that has all been lost,” said King.
He said Peccia’s lack of leadership is a big reason the city has been struggling with several different issues, including the lack of enforcement of short-term rentals, lack of leadership over the PFAS situation, and dropping the ball as the chair of the Local Development Finance Authority for years.
The LDFA oversees clean-up of the Industrial Park area, where PFAS have recently been found at unsafe levels in private wells.
“I do not believe the city in any way is poisoning our citizens. However, we have a responsibility to those citizens who had wells in the Industrial Park to have done something quicker and been more active. That was the manager’s job. I don’t believe it happened,” said King.
King said he just couldn’t continue.
“I truly believe there’s a liability for sitting on that council if you’re going to violate the charter. And when you’re going to allow a manager to violate the charter and not hold him accountable. I’m not willing to subject myself or my family to that type of liability,” said King.
King said he will continue to advocate for Cadillac, just off council.