CADILLAC — Some people in Cadillac are up in arms, accusing the city council of not following their own bylaws.
They said the current council should be stopped from being able to vote on anything for the rest of the year.
Two former city council members claim that people appointed to the council this year, because of resignations — including the mayor — are not legitimate members for the final two months of 2025, because a special election for those positions was not held on Nov. 4.
They said the appointments are in violation of the city charter for the rest of the year.
Art Stevens, a former city council member and Cadillac resident, said he brought up his concerns at the last city council meeting in October.
“The charter is very clear that those appointments are only until the election, their successor would be elected at that election to fulfill the remainder of the term,” said Stevens.
Stevens charged that the three appointed members, Mayor Tiya Schippers and council members Ruthann French and Scott Hopkins, who replaced people who had resigned earlier this year, should have had special elections to retain their seats for the final two months of the year.
Former city council member and current Cadillac resident, Bill Barnett, also agreed.
“What happened was that there was no election in May. I think it was too soon after the appointments happened, but it certainly should have happened in August.
He said the charter is the bylaws that the council is expected to follow. Those rules are adopted by the will of the people through a vote and can’t be changed by the city council alone.
Stevens said they need three legitimate council members to conduct any official business.
“You don’t have three people that are actually elected or properly appointed to serve for those two months and that they would need to just potentially not be meeting for that period of time. They could still meet and get public input. They just couldn’t have any official votes so they technically could still meet for the public to have public comment and such, but they just couldn’t come to any decisions and do any voting,” said Stevens.
Mayor Schippers and council member French declined to comment. City manager Marcus Peccia also declined to comment, referring me to the city attorney, but added that they do plan to hold their next regularly scheduled council meeting on Nov. 17.
Council member Hopkins and the city attorney could not be reached for comment.
Barnett said the silence from the city council is the typical lack of transparency, the city council has been accused of showing.
He worries this could also open the door to serious legal repercussions.
“I feel it’s something that could be challenged. Do they even have a quorum if three members are not legally in those seats per election and per the charter?” asked Barnett.
Schippers did not run for election as mayor in November, but council members French and Hopkins both did. French and Hopkins did win their wards in the November elections.
According to Stevens, they should be sworn in in January, when the new mayor, David Powell is sworn into his new position.