Police Chief disrupts meeting with complaints against Independent

Sumpter Township Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke completed his regular police report at the township board’s regular meeting on Feb. 11 and then launched into a vitriolic verbal attack on Independent editor Rosemary Otzman.
He read part of an Independent story on the Jan. 14 meeting where it is reported Chief Luke taunted former Trustee Sheena Barnes as she left the meeting room after she made comments on the destruction of write-in ballots for her past candidacy.
Luke said, “I didn’t say it,” and then towered over Otzman as she sat in the audience next to the podium. He poked his finger at her ordering her to tell him who said that, in an intimidating manner.
He asked Trustee Matt Oddy and Treasurer Ken Bednark if they heard the comments and they said they didn’t.
Otzman said she would report that he said he didn’t say it. He thanked her for that. When he continued to boom out at her, asking who told her that, she replied it was two witnesses.
Luke pulled out his cellphone and played a crystal-clear recording of that part of the meeting, until it got to the end when Barnes was leaving the meeting, then the very remarks he said proved he was right, were garbled and unintelligible.
He said the words are: “It’s time to go, Sheena,” to which she replied, “Shut up.”
Also, he said he said, “Have a good night,” and she replied, “Shut up.”
Then Luke read a statement on integrity and claimed he had integrity and others lacked integrity.
“After 26 years of honorable service, every time they defame me, I will stand up and respond,” Luke thundered before stalking off.
Peggy Morgan and Jay Bardell said they heard the remarks made to Barnes and it was reported correctly.
People in the audience said they were amazed that Luke had a clear video of the Jan. 14 meeting, since the one put out over Comcast had bad sound and couldn’t be understood by the audience. Also, the Freedom of Information Act request for a recording of the meeting came to the Independent with a notice that there was no charge because the sound was so bad. That recording had excessive noise over the meeting video.
Clerk Esther Hurst was presiding at the Feb. 11 meeting in the absence of Supervisor John Morgan. She allowed Luke to continue his tirade and no board members spoke against the hijacking of the business meeting, although one called with an apology a few days later.
In other activities at the Feb. 11 meeting, the board:
• Approved increasing the pay of election workers by $2 per hour each to remain competitive with other communities in the area. This will be in effect starting with the March election. Current rates of pay were chair, $11; co-chairs, $10.50; and election inspectors, $10;
• Removed from the agenda a request from Supervisor Morgan that read: “Approval for Treasurer’s project to correct errors made in switching the bank accounts from PNC to Comerica for the cost of $3,062.50.” Treasurer Ken Bednark objected to the word “errors,” saying switching banks to save money for the township is a big project and very complicated. Cari Ford of Post, Smythe, Lutz & Ziel of Wayne, who would get the fee, spoke on the matter, as did Township Financial Director Elle Cole. Oddy made a motion to remove the item from the agenda since it should have been put on by the treasurer;
• Removed from the proposed agenda, before the final agenda was prepared, a proposal to extend by three years the contract of Human Resources Director Michelle Bellingham with a $5,000 raise, one more week of vacation pay (totaling five), and six months of severance pay if she is terminated without cause. Her current contract, which began Feb. 14, 2017 expired Feb. 13, 2020. No mention of this agenda item was made at the meeting;
• Approved the attorney’s report by Rob Young with Young noting the approval of the report would include approval of a resolution to pay off pension liabilities between $150,000 and $160,000 for two police officers, as presented by Burnham Flowers. Whatever money is left will come back to the township when paid off, he said. The item was not otherwise on the agenda or in the agenda packet;
• Heard Treasurer Bednark announce the treasurer’s office will no longer be open on board meeting night, since it is seldom needed and costs several thousand dollars a year to have the deputy in there on overtime. He said they have a secured night deposit and a few takers for on-line payments;
• Heard Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis announce that Sumpter is 180 years old and they are selling travel mugs for $4 each in the supervisor’s office. Armatis also noted there was wrong information in a flyer and people have until March 2 to pay their property taxes in the township;
• Heard former Treasurer Peggy Morgan ask why Kevin Rochon was removed from the Parks and Recreation Commission and she was told to attend the Feb. 19 meeting to get an explanation. She asked if it was a secret. Kim Toms said he wasn’t there when that happened but the commission has an open-door policy and anyone can come to the meeting. According to the official minutes of the Parks and Recreation Nov. 20 meeting, Rochon was removed for “Violation of the Parks and Recreation Bylaws,” by a vote of seven yeses (Holly Swinson, Drusilla Allen, Krystal Tackett, Sharon Pokerwinski, Richard Pokerwinski, Mark Argo and Dawn Argo) and three abstentions (Cheryl Toms, Jim Posegay, Joanne Posegay) with Kim Tom (sic) and Don Swinson not casting votes;
• Heard Morgan ask where they advertised for a new DPW worker to replace the late Leroy Campbell. Clerk Hurst said they advertised in a water magazine and got some responses. They also advertised in the Eagle, Morgan noted. Morgan asked if they shouldn’t give local people a chance and advertise in the township’s newspaper of record. Hurst said they wanted to advertise “where we’ll get quality people,” adding, “We probably should have done both”;
• Heard Mary Herring complain about the pink plastic bags that are thrown at the ends of driveways and make a mess. She said in Europe they sweep their streets and take pride in their country. “Americans are becoming slobs … Is there a remedy?” Luke said two years ago he contacted the Detroit News and he has talked to them three times. Recently he called them again and threatened to cite the driver. He has given his officers orders to cite the drivers;
• Heard Richard Harrison comment on disorderly persons in the meetings and asked if there was another choice as far as newspaper of record. He told a story of submitting a letter to the editor of the Independent years ago and he said it never was printed;
• Heard Jay Bardell ask if a street light could be put up at the Sumpter and Clay road intersection since it is so dark. He was advised to talk to Karen Woodington and she would find out how much it would cost; and
• Heard Ronald Barrington Robinson ask the criteria for joining Parks and Rec and Trustee Donnie Swinson said you just fill out an application and get a background check. Swinson said, however, he has never seen a background check. Clerk Hurst said everyone on the commission has a background check. Swinson said the volunteers also have background checks to protect everyone. “It’s important to protect the dollars and the children … We don’t want any embezzling,” Robinson said. He also spoke against blight and asked Luke if board members can be disruptive. Luke replied, “They have more latitude because it’s their meeting.” As to the recent disruption, “I’ve never seen it happen in 26 years.”