The Jackson City Council held a special virtual meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 5 to discuss an ethics investigation. Here are highlights of what was decided:
-The City Council voted to accept written answers from Councilmember Laura Dwyer Schlecte about her involvement in a real estate deal that would have sold the City-owned Vermeulen and Masonic Temple properties to a developer. At their last meeting in December, the council directed Dwyer Schlecte to answer these questions to determine if the City Council’s Ethics Ordinance was violated and if there was a conflict of interest.
-The council then voted to send Dwyer Schlecte’s written answers to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for further review to see if the City Council’s Ethics Ordinance was violated. The council also decided Councilmember Jeromy Alexander should be investigated by the Attorney General for an alleged ethics violation. In the past, Councilmember Alexander did contracted computer work for the Jackson School of the Arts (JSA). The Vermeulen’s property was recently sold to JSA. Dwyer Schlecte says it was a conflict of interest for Alexander to vote on the sale since he previously worked with the art school.
The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 12.