(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/04/2024) Michigan State University's Board of Trustees sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday morning an independent report on the ways in which members Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno violated various bylaws and polices in case she'd like to take further action against either of them (see related story).
Technically, it's possible the Governor could remove both from their positions, but if past precedent is any guide, it's highly unlikely.
The only two times that a pair of Michigan government historians could find the Governor going through the steps of removing elected officials were over "one of the most barefaced and outrageous election frauds" back in 1894 and a state elected official who – unbeknownst to most people – took a second salary within state government.
"Governors, historically, don't like to take these types of actions," said The Ballenger Report's Bill Ballenger, who mentioned both cases late last year based on research done by elections attorney Bob LaBrant.
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm started removal proceedings against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, but he resigned partway through the hearing, having seen the writing on the wall (See "Kilpatrick Enters Guilty Plea, Agrees To Resign," 9/4/08).
Kilpatrick pleaded guilty in criminal court to two obstruction of justice felony pleas as part of his resignation, which stemmed from $8.4 million in whistleblower settlements Kilpatrick tried to hide from the Detroit City Council so his misuse of money and his extramarital affairs weren't exposed.
By comparison, Vassar's bullying behavior and Denno's tendency to work around the president are small shakes, especially considering the two other times the Governor used the power of the office to give an elected official the boot.
The first instance came in 1894, when the Board of State Canvassers was made up of the Secretary of State, the state Treasurer and the state land commissioner. The three signed off on a doctored canvassing document in May 1893 that showed a statewide ballot question, which would have raised all three of their salaries, passed by 1,821 votes.
After the Supreme Court ordered a recount, it was found the question failed by 11,453 votes. Criminal charges were made as an investigation found more votes in some Detroit precincts than registered voters. The entire county of Gratiot didn't have their votes counted. Results in Gogebic County were completely changed.
The Detroit Free Press wrote at the time that it was a "well-concocted and deep-laid conspiracy on the part of the high Republican officials to thwart the will of the people by the most unscrupulous and disgraceful methods ever attempted in the United States."
Then-Gov. John Rich proceeded to remove all three canvassers for "gross neglect of duty" in failing to properly canvass the election.
In 1926, then-Gov. Alex Groesbeck removed state Superintendent Thomas E. Johnson, who was the elected superintendent at that time, because he took an extra $2,700 in salary ($47,046 in today’s dollars) for serving as director of state rehabilitation and vocational education.
Before taking the salary, Johnson apparently didn't make any official inquiry about whether taking two state paychecks while being an elected official was OK.
Johnson also was a stockholder director and officer for a surety company, which wrote bonds for employees and officers of "normal schools," an old-school definition of teaching schools like Eastern Michigan University.
Johnson and Groesbeck were political adversaries, Johnson having endorsed Fred GREEN earlier in the year for the next term. The two also had a vocal public disagreement earlier in the year about Johnson wanting a fifth normal school in Michigan. Groesbeck said it wasn't necessary.
Groesbeck held a hearing and booted Johnson, who later contested the action in the courts. Instead, the Attorney General came back and demanded Johnson pay the state back close to $20,000 for the "illegally accepted" money in a case that dragged on for a couple of years.
In both cases, those broomed from office were found to have violated the public trust, as opposed to working around official channels, speaking out of turn and trying to embarrass political adversaries, as Vassar and Denno were accused of doing.
