Sumpter hires clerk for treasurer’s office in emergency Sunday meeting

On Friday, Aug. 13, at 3:30 p.m., a special Zoom meeting was announced for the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees at 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 15.
The only item on the agenda was the hiring of part-time clerk in the treasurer’s office, Acheenia Hall of Van Buren Township, who would begin work the next day at the AFSCME wage of $20.74 per hour for 21-29 hours a week.
Hall will replace Erica Campbell who was sworn in July 12 before being appointed deputy treasurer on July 13.
Campbell had been on sick leave after having a positive COVID test, but Clerk Esther Hurst asked if she was cleared by her doctor to come back to work on July 16 and she said she was.
Clerk Hurst asked Campbell if she was going to be training Hall in her new job starting Monday and Campbell said she was. Hurst asked if this selection had gone through the hiring committee and did they make a recommendation and Treasurer Vincent Warren said a committee of Township Administrator Michelle Cole, Deputy Treasurer Campbell, and himself were on the committee and interviewed the candidates.
“Why is this being rushed?” Hurst asked.
“You say rushed,” Treasurer Warren replied, saying they had posted the position for a week internally and a week externally and got three candidates. The first did not meet the hours needed, the second was late for the interview and so was eliminated. He said Hall met all the criteria and had knowledge of Excel and Quick Books and will be able to follow and to be a team player.
“Why did we have to do a special meeting?” Hurst persisted. “Why not hire her at a regular board meeting?”
Trustee Tim Rush said they have an absence in the treasurer’s office with Anna Winter going on vacation and the board wouldn’t meet for another week. He said they need to be able to collect cash and service the residents and Campbell will be overwhelmed without help.
Trustee Matt Oddy said the board approved the advertising to get the person on July 13 and they need Hall to start the next day. He said they are coming off a COVID closure and Winter is gone.
“Unforeseen circumstances is why we are doing this?” asked Hurst, referring to the phrase the township has been using to refer to COVID-19 cases. Trustee Oddy said, “Yes.”
Trustee Peggy Morgan said she’s never seen this before, having a Sunday meeting in the evening on a family day. She said even if Anna Winter is going to be gone on vacation, the office always has been run with two people. Ken Bednark was the only one who had three people, she said. Trustee Morgan said with Campbell training Hall, she won’t be available to serve the public. She asked the supervisor to explain the Sunday meeting.
“I did a pretty good job of explaining it,” Supervisor Tim Bowman said of when he said the meeting was called to hire a part-time person to be a clerk in the treasurer’s office.
Trustee Oddy started to speak about Campbell and Trustee Morgan said she had the floor.
“Why be his mouthpiece?” Trustee Morgan said. “He has a mouth to speak,” she said of the supervisor.
Campbell started to speak and Trustee Morgan told her she still had the floor.
“You’re asking us to shut up,” Trustee Oddy complained.
“I’m not asking you to shut up,” Trustee Morgan replied and Trustee Rush called out, “Point of order!” three times.
At this point, Trustee Oddy asked for the floor and Supervisor Bowman gave it to him.
Oddy said Winter is out of the office and the deputy treasurer is coming out of a COVID layoff. He said he was glad after the death of a treasurer and the appointment of a new treasurer to meet on a Sunday or anytime for Warren. He said Warren called him to get advice on how to get the employment started. Campbell asked that the new employee start as soon as possible, Oddy said.
“Peggy, I’m outraged with your statement,” Trustee Rush said. “If Supervisor Bowman calls a special meeting for special circumstances, I don’t care if it’s midnight on a Sunday. I’ll be there to help our treasurer’s office. This is outrageous.”
Warren said since he’s been in office he has seen a void. He said with Campbell out there was a void.
He said it’s his job to make sure when people come to his office for information there is someone they can see to help them.
“That’s why we moved so fast … We had three candidates, not 30, not 40. Three,” Warren said.
Trustee Morgan said they could have had a board meeting the next day, on Monday.
“I didn’t understand. Neither did Esther [Hurst],” she said. “A special meeting on a Sunday to hire a part-time employee?”
Oddy said he didn’t know why they are having a discussion on why the meeting was called. He said there was a motion and he called for the vote.
The vote was unanimous to approve hiring Hall and then the 16-minute meeting was adjourned.
Hall’s resume said she has been owner/president of “You Go Girl” domestic and commercial cleaning service in Saline from June 2016 to the present. She also did housekeeping at Brookdale Senior Living in Ann Arbor from February to June 2020 and was an account manager at RNA Facilities Management, Ann Arbor, from September 2017 to December 2020. The resume said she took business management from the University of Phoenix.