Genoa Township Board votes to hire third party to investigate township clerk
GENOA TWP. - The Township Board Monday voted without discussion to seek an independent legal investigation and report on Clerk Polly Skolarus' actions.
Skolarus abstained from the vote.
The law firm of Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes will investigate, and provide a report and recommendations on:
Whether Skolarus was undercompensated by the township in 2016
Whether the Township Board should reimburse Skolarus for attorney fees and costs she incurred in defending a criminal prosecution against her
Whether Skolarus has treated township employees improperly or unlawfully
Whether Skolarus violated the Open Meetings Act in conducting a recent election commission meeting
Other issues of impropriety or misconduct concerning Skolarus
This investigation will cost $10,000 to $20,000, along with an hourly pay of $315 to attorneys who assist with the investigation.
The proposal was introduced in May after Skolarus was acquitted in April of a misdemeanor charge in connection with the November 2020 election claiming she used unapproved containers.
"Obviously, there were members of the township board who disagreed with the jury, related to the court's decision where they found me not guilty, and they're looking to find me guilty of something," Skolarus previously said of the proposal for the board to seek an investigation.
After she was charged in March 2021, Skolarus was stripped of multiple duties in her role as township clerk, however, the Michigan Secretary of State rescinded those actions after she was acquitted.
Sophia Lada is a reporter for the Livingston Daily. Contact her at slada@gannett.com or 517.377.1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Genoa Township Board voted to hire an independent investigator
