Clerk Leon Wright’s travels, expenses questioned by 2 trustees

At the March 6 meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, Trustee Paul White asked that the voucher list be pulled off the consent agenda and put on the regular agenda so it could be discussed.
Items on the consent agenda generally are approved without discussion.
When it came up for discussion, Trustee White said that he sees that $600 is on that voucher list to be paid for registration for a trip by Clerk Leon Wright to Newport Beach, VA.
“We need a travel policy in place,” Trustee White said. He has been asking for a revised policy for several months.
He said he understands under the present policy, the three full-time electeds (supervisor, treasurer, and clerk) approved the registration and transportation and hotel and meals.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara said it is all in the budget, in the footnotes.
White said he wanted to know how this benefits Van Buren Township residents.
Treasurer Sharry Budd said White did approve “a paper.” She said the board did approve Wright joining the International Clerks Association. She said White signed the approval.
Supervisor McNamara repeated it was a footnote in the budget they approved.
Trustee Sherry Frazier said that document looked like a letter when it came to the board table.
“I didn’t know we were specific,” Trustee Frazier said.
She said whenever they are expending tax dollars it should be approved by the whole board.
Frazier said the travel policy shouldn’t be approved by the “three electeds,” of which Clerk Wright is one.
She said he spent over $2,000 last year going to Montreal. He had one grant to pay part of the registration, but this time no grant has been applied for.
“This is money the taxpayer is paying for, ultimately,” Frazier said.
“If he would have reported what ideas he got from going to Montreal, it would have been different,” she said.
“Belonging to the international association is … in my opinion, government officials taking vacations on tax payers dollars,” Frazier said.
“I have explained…” Clerk Wright began.
“Explain again,” Frazier cut in.
“Don’t interrupt me. I didn’t interrupt you,” Wright said.
He said being on the international group he gets to make decisions on a regional level.
“I didn’t ask you for what you learned in Lansing in the conference,” Wright said. “We don’t have time to sight-see. We’re in the conference all day long… I’ve always gone on trips and I’ll continue to go on trips and pay for them…”
Wright said they said they don’t know how it benefits the township. He said they ask the same questions week after week.
He said the township budget is $14-$15 million and this is his tenth year in office. He said the township runs a very tight ship, budget-wise.
Trustee Reggie Miller said Trustees White and Frazier are entitled to their opinions, but they could have asked their questions at the work/study session.
“Why are we grandstanding in front of the public?” Trustee Miller asked.
The regular meetings are cablecast, but the work/study meetings have a very small audience and are not recorded for showing.
“I am not grandstanding,” replied White. “I asked Clerk White straight out… I asked if Clerk Wright paid for the meals for his wife with a township credit card … He said no, I will not show you… I asked you and you said you wouldn’t show me.”
“If you don’t trust me that’s your problem,” Wright replied. “If you find out I haven’t paid …”
White said Wright’s payment hasn’t shown up on the financial records.
Frazier said for Wright to say “we run a tight budget” sounds like he is saying, “Frazier, don’t worry about a $600 conference, we have a $14-$15 million budget.” She said there will be plane fare coming up, as well.
Frazier said when they study the voucher list they find Wright’s passport was paid for by taxpayers’ funds.
She said there was $332 paid for meals for a three-day conference.
“I took it upon myself and asked him … and he admitted to me,” Frazier said. She said his wife had been at the conference and he paid for her meals on the township credit card.
“You are an experienced clerk,” Frazier said, adding he should have paid for his meal with the township credit card and her meal with a private credit card.
Clerk Wright started to speak and Frazier asked Supervisor McNamara to give Wright a lecture on interrupting like McNamara gave her a lecture on interrupting the day before.
“I am not going to be bullied,” Frazier said, adding she is fulfilling her fiduciary duty by asking questions for the residents.
“Clerk Wright goes to a conference every month or every other month,” Frazier said.
“It’s in the budget. It’s been approved,” Wright insisted.
Treasurer Sharry Budd made a motion to approve the voucher list and Miller seconded the motion. It was approved with Frazier and White voting no.
In other business at the March 6 meeting, the board:
• Heard Clerk Wright announce the township offices will be closed on March 23 so the employees can get emergency lessons;
• Heard White say VBT has been featured in the Michigan Township Association magazine with a nice story. No one knew who submitted it, but Frazier said she submitted it. After the meeting it was learned she was joking and Lisa Lothringer, deputy director of the Downtown Development Authority, had actually submitted the story;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara announce the township fire department is helping the Van Buren Public Schools apply for a grant for Narcan, a drug to counteract the effects of opioids, and also will train them in its use; and
• Heard Treasurer Budd report that the township got a notice from Wayne County that VBT was the first one to turn in balanced tax payments. She praised her deputy Sean Bellingham for his work, along with account clerks Jessica Shevrovich and Kathy Adams.