Another Dysfunctional City Government
We Don't Need No Stinking Firefighters
JEFFREY LAMARAND, MAYOR OF TAYLOR, MICHIGAN in Wayne County, will be in court Friday facing a contempt charge that may land him in jail, and he says he would be glad to go.
Mayor Lamarand
It all started when Taylor applied for and was awarded an $8.1 million S.A.F.E.R. grant to hire back 32 firefighters, more than half the uniformed force, that the city had laid off in July of last year. (See the Firegeezer report Michigan City Whacks Its Fire Department. ) This past June the city council voted to accept the grant that had a July 8 deadline for acceptance, but the mayor vetoed the resolution. It seems he got in a snit because he is an elected official and believes that city council cannot tell him what to do. (See FossilMedics report Council Can't Tell Me To Accept $8 Million Grant … )
On July 6 a Circuit Court judge ordered Lamarand to accept the grant, yet he refused to comply. Now he is claiming that the city cannot afford the required contribution to meet the grant's requirements.
This Monday, August 6, another Circuit Court judge gave him 24 hours to comply with the ruling or face contempt charges:
Da' Mayor is due back in court tomorrow (Friday) for his contempt hearing.
The fire chief says that he sure could use the extra firefighters after seeing two of their three fire stations closed down last Autumn.
The Detroit Free Press has a good update HERE.
The Southgate News Herald editorializes that Lamarand’s actions are beyond childish HERE.
Taylor Fire Department WEBSITE.
Also on FireGeezer…
- “Council can’t tell me to accept $8M grant, veto override or no” – June 26, 2012
