Jay Drick, chair of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, has reimbursed Livingston County $2.56 to bring to a conclusion the campaign finance violation complaint filed against him last year by Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party.
The Michigan Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections in December ruled that Drick’s two-minute speech at the end of the July 22, 2024, meeting of the Livingston County board “may have been an improper use of public resources.”
In those two minutes, Drick, a lawyer and former Livingston County magistrate, gave a political Festivus-like airing of his grievances against his opponent and in support of his candidacy for the county commission, which included all the ways he alone had earned the right to sit on the board.
“The paltry reimbursement to the county, calculated by someone who reports to Jay Drick in the county chain of command, will not deter any elected official from blatantly campaigning during county meetings,” Daubenmier said about the resolution. “But the stigma remains that the state did find that there is reason to believe that Jay Drick, a lawyer who should know better, violated the law and that will always be on his record.”
There were no other costs — including legal fees — associated with Drick’s reimbursement.
Livingston County pays a monthly retainer to its legal firm, Cohl, Stokey & Troskey, PC. The campaign finance complaint was about Drick’s actions as chair of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners during an official meeting, which means the legal costs associated with it were covered by the county’s retainer.
“Because the retainer is a flat, fixed-fee retainer, there were no incremental charges to the county for the legal services,” said Nathan Burd, Livingston County administrator.
Michigan Campaign Finance Law says public officials can’t use public resources or their office to campaign for election.
At that meeting, Drick claimed a “last-to-speak option” to push back against things said during the regular call to the public by Steve Williams, the former commissioner whose wife was Drick’s primary challenger.
You can get a lot of background information, and read about Drick’s speech by clicking here.
You can watch Drick’s speech in question below, at about the 1:24 mark:
