Nothing I have ever done for the cities of Lathrup Village or Southfield over the course of my service in the last 35+ years have been for personal power or gain – and any claims otherwise are absurd. 

Some people have claimed that my involvement with Michigan First Credit Union as a real estate agent, my profession for which I am paid, when I was serving as a volunteer on the Planning Commission (which is only responsible for making recommendations to Council, the decision-making body) were deemed unethical. See the attached Michigan First Timeline for the full story. I was entirely transparent about both roles to all parties involved in those transactions, in any discussions and votes, including several conversations with the City Attorney - including at an 11-24-15 public hearing where he reiterated there was no conflict of interest and told me I was not able to recuse myself from voting. At the time, I trusted that guidance and acted accordingly. I had - and still have - nothing to hide as it relates to this matter. See 11-24-15 Meeting Minutes.  

I do find it incredibly ironic that these accusations are being made against me when, for the last several years, Mayor Garrett has filled our boards, commissions, foundation and committees with friends and donors to the multiple political campaigns she has launched for other elected positions while claiming to want to be our Mayor. She wanted those other positions so much - Oakland County Commissioner and U.S. House Representative - that she spent a total of $294,000 of her own money to run, according to her Federal and State campaign finance statements. Garrett was unsuccessful in those bids for “higher” office. And she continues to plaster her name, her title (which is appointed by fellow Council members and not elected by residents) and her headshot anywhere the opportunity presents itself, as a “committed” servant to Lathrup Village residents. She is the definition of a self-promoting ego-centric politician, rather than a public servant. And by her side for the last 6 years, Mayor Pro-Tem Kantor operates in a similar manner (see “Infrastructure” and “Cannabis” sections).

Garrett has also given preferential treatment and access to our precious and limited community resources to a few chosen organizations, although it is never clear how one is allowed to be part of that chosen few. Last year, at a DDA meeting, I asked what an organization needs to do to be the sponsor of a City event. I wondered what was required of a business or organization to have their logo included on City communications. This seemed like a relatively straightforward question. Why wouldn’t we have clear guidelines about access to such promotional value? I NEVER received an answer. This is disturbing, as it would only be fair that these opportunities be made available to all of our community. But they are not.

Of note, LOGOS Church - a church Garrett has supported financially - used OUR City Hall as their place of business for several years. During that time, they received discounts on rental rates to use our facilities for weekly church services and received free marketing and promotion from the DDA for their events. Both the Mayor and Councilman Jennings have been featured as “special guests” at many of these events, which in and of itself would be fine if they weren’t then plastered on promotional and recap materials, using their titles and City positions to further that promotion and visibility. In addition, Garrett helped the church obtain a building with a land contract in LV that they now use for services, but they are still using City Hall for events such as “Friends and Family Day” coming in November. Once LOGOS had access to the new building, they were then given a Special Land Use permit to use the building as a house of worship, which means they are a business exempt from paying taxes. Charlotte Jones, Pastor of LOGOS, was recommended by Garrett and appointed to the DDA Board of Directors - a board that Garrett also holds a voting seat on. Last month, LOGOS Church received a grant from the LV DDA toward a new sign for the building – somehow, the DDA Board didn’t require Garrett to abstain from voting.

Another group of people and their organizations have also received preferential treatment and seem to have frequent access to our facilities and resources. Mark Watts and his wife, Shawanna Watts of Boys2Men; and Mark’s niece, Brittany Dorsey of In The Know and the LV DDA & Special Projects Manager, are particularly favored by Garrett and DDA Director Susie Stec.

Mark Watts is a Lathrup Village resident, former DDA Board member and he rents office space on Southfield Rd. for Quality Auto Sales; Trash Out; and his non-profit, Boys2Men. Boys2Men is a youth mentoring program “that is committed to providing dedicated men that are able to guide boys on their journey to manhood…”  According to their website, Garrett, Ferguson and Jennings are now on the Advisory Board of Boys2Men. The City of Lathrup Village and the LV DDA are listed as their partners. I don’t know what being a partner entails but there have been no discussions with the full Council. Shawanna Watts also sits on the Lathrup Village Community Foundation Board.

Brittany Dorsey was hired as DDA Manager when her uncle, Mark Watts, was on the DDA Board. I don’t know if he recused himself when her hiring was approved. Dorsey has a non-profit called “In the Know” or ITK. You may have seen her logo on most of the events held in our community over the last 2 to 3 years - along with LOGOS Church and Boys2Men. The ITK logo appears on printed material; the website; in the e-newsletter even though our Code of Ethics prevents an employee from promoting themselves when they are being paid by Lathrup Village. Our Lathrup Village DDA logo has been included as a sponsor of In the Know events held at Franklin Athletic Club that weren’t advertised to LV residents. Dorsey spends a lot of time driving youth around in the City van. Dorsey said the youth are from her group In the Know, Boys2Men and her basketball kids

How are these not conflicts of interest? Being elected to Council does not grant you the power to empower your friends and donors - in fact, it’s the opposite, as we are expected to remain objective and able to evaluate what’s best for the City and its residents. And that is my commitment to you.