Did Jay Drick, chairperson of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, violate Michigan campaign finance law on July 22 by slamming his primary opponent and touting reasons why he deserved to win during the board’s second call to the public?
The Michigan Bureau of Elections thinks Drick — a lawyer and former Livingston County magistrate — may have and is starting an informal review process; in a Dec. 18 letter to Drick’s attorney, the bureau is giving Drick until May 2 to work out a resolution.
“Chairman Drick’s second ‘public comment’ from his position as chairman were directed at his opponent and criticizing their qualifications for public office and were outside the scope” of the law,” the letter read.
You can view Drick’s comments in the video below: his comments in the first call to the public run from 1:00:51 to 1:03:28, and his comments during the second call to the public — the comments that have landed him in hot water — run from 1:24:19 to 1:26:47.
The complaint was filed by Judy Daubenmier, chairperson of the Livingston County Democratic Party, and the evidence cited in her complaint was the Zoom recording of the meeting posted on the county’s YouTube site.
Should Drick not work out a resolution, the Bureau of Elections will do one of two things: Refer the case to Attorney General Dana Nessel “for the enforcement of any criminal penalty,” which in this case could be up to $20,000; or begin a hearing “for enforcement of any civil violation.”
You can read more about Drick’s call-to-the-public comments and the back story behind them by clicking here.
Drick beat Heather Williams in the Aug. 6 Republican primary, and he won re-election over Democrat Paul Giessner in the Nov. 5 general election. Drick represents District 5 on the county commission, which includes the City of Howell and Marion Township.
