Ouimet's improper receipt of taxpayer dollars should disqualify him in state House race
The attempted defense of Mark Ouimet’s improper receipt of per diems (meeting fees) and mileage reimbursements, offered by Washtenaw GOP Chairman Mark Boonstra and Vice Chairman Wyckham Selig, was riddled with factual misstatements and irrelevant and specious arguments.
The issue is simple: Did Ouimet ask for and receive thousands of dollars in per diem payments (not reimbursements), plus mileage reimbursements, that he was not entitled to receive under the rules of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, rules that he voted to approve every year for the last six years? The answer is clearly “Yes.”
Thomas Wieder
“When Washtenaw County commissioners attend a meeting on behalf of the county, they are entitled to receive a $25 fee.” This is false. Commissioners are not entitled to a fee for every meeting they attend that deals with county business; they receive salaries for most of that. They are entitled to fees, over and above their salaries, only for specified meetings of the Board of Commissioners, itself, and its committees. They are also entitled to fees for attending meetings of other specified boards, commissions and committees of the County, but only if they have been formally appointed to serve on those bodies.
Ouimet went far beyond those rules, claiming fees for showing up almost anywhere he felt like, and calling it county business. He collected fees for attending meetings of township boards, to which he certainly wasn’t appointed - often for just a few minutes - for discussions with county employees, for talking to the newspaper, for going to a county employee breakfast.
Boonstra and Wyckham claim, incredibly, that “a high level of expenses…demonstrates that a commissioner is working hard.”
First of all, we are not talking about “expenses.” Of the $35,000 Ouimet put in for and was paid, $26,000 of it was extra pay, not reimbursement of expenses. It was extra money that he had to spend on anything he liked.
Second, even if we accept the unsupported claim that Ouimet “worked harder,” that doesn’t give him the right to get paid for things that the rules don’t allow.
Is there any evidence that Ouimet worked harder? Absolutely, not. Neither he, nor the other commissioners, keep timesheets. Other commissioners may have worked just as hard, but they didn’t ask for extra pay for every meeting they attended or every discussion they had relating to the county. All that we know for sure is that Ouimet got paid a lot more than any of the other commissioners.
Ouimet says that he gave all the money to charity, but we have nothing but his word on that. Not that it matters. Taking money that doesn’t belong to you isn’t OK if you give it to your favorite charity. Look at it this way: The county clerk says that Ouimet wasn’t entitled to collect the $25 fees for 51 percent of the 989 meetings he put in for, a total of 504 meetings, over five years. If Ouimet came into the Washtenaw County Treasurer’s office 504 times, took $25 out of the cash drawer each time, and gave it to his favorite charity, would that be OK?
Boonstra and Wyckham try to distract from Ouimet’s unjustified receipt of this money by talking about expenses Democratic commissioners received for attending conferences and meetings outside the county. Those expenses have nothing to do with the issue at hand. First of all, what they are complaining about are reimbursements of actual expenses incurred, not the extra pay that Ouimet received.
Second, while the two GOP officials would have voters believe that all of these trips were useless junkets, they have provided no evidence of that. Most importantly, while Ouimet’s collection of extra pay clearly violated the commissioners’ own rules, there is no evidence that any of the travel reimbursement was improper.
Moreover, the Democratic travel expense amounts being talked about are trivial, compared to Ouimet’s receipts. Accepting Boonstra and Wyckham’s figure that the nine Democratic commissioners, as a group, received an average of $8,658 for each of the last three two-year terms, the total for all nine would be $25,974. Ouimet, by himself, collected $25,925 in meeting fees, alone, plus mileage, over the same six years.
For the five years 2005-2009, Ouimet received a total of $32,805 in per diems fees and mileage, an average of $6,561 a year. Over the same period, the nine Democratic commissioners currently serving received an average of $1,678 per year. Even if you add their out-of-county travel reimbursements, the average is just $2,231 per year, about a third of Ouimet’s.
The real issue here isn’t who is a more spendthrift commissioner. The question is whether Mark Ouimet should be promoted to the office of state representative next week. The answer is a clear “No.”
Ann Arbor resident Thomas F. Wieder is an attorney who retired from active practice in 2003. He continues to do pro bono work, primarily for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Comments
Wyrokodawca
Thu, Oct 28, 2010 : 1:37 p.m.
Thomas makes a solid point. You can keep rascals like Quimet out of your pocket by voting them out. How can anyone have trust in the system when it is managed by such slippery fellows as this.
MjC
Thu, Oct 28, 2010 : 7:03 a.m.
Frank - You misunderstood my point (which is why I'll never make a good journalist or writer). I'm not supporting Ouimet. I'm just trying to question the accounting system in this scenario. It still makes no sense to me that in the year 2010 there was no oversight. But thanks for unkindly explaining it all to me.
Roadman
Thu, Oct 28, 2010 : 12:01 a.m.
Barbara McQuade is from Ann Arbor and has made donations to local Democrats. These records are available online that confirm this. Ann Arbor City Councilperson Margie Teall's husband is a former chairman of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party and works under McQuade as an assistant U.S. attorney. It was however a Bush appointeee, Stephen Murphy, who as U.S Atty. for the Eastern District obtained indictments against WCSD deputies for civil rights violations involving the Lee brothers in West Willow. One deputy was convicted. Democratic Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie filed no charges in the Lee cases. Look to Republicans for justice in Washtenaw County.
Justice In Action
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 11:21 p.m.
@Sean Gray: You ask why a person would give away $20,000? Because he is a politician building a resume highlighting community leadership. He gets the recognition of being a Tocqueville Leadership Giver to United Way and then gets the honor of being Vice-Chair of that Board and make decisions on where the money goes. I guess it's easy to give away money since it wasn't his in the first place.
treetowncartel
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 10:08 p.m.
One thing is for certain, Barbara McQuade is doing her best to get rid of public corruption in the Eastern District. I can only imagine that a copy of Mr. Ouimet's 1040s from the past few years are sitting on someones desk in the in downtown Detroit. If they don't look into this it only validates Kwame and the crews' cry of being persecuted by reason of racism.
JimFuester
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 8:41 p.m.
Hmmm... seems to me Ouimet should well have known just what he was eligible for and what not. Ignorance of such things is NO excuse. If I were found to have submitted inappropriate reimbursement requests, repeatedly, I dare say that like most people I would have lost my job. Offering that monies were donated to charity is a weak answer. Offering to pay back- as Ouimet states in his radio commercial- any inappropriately received funds (if this turns out to be the case, as AA.com even implies it is elsewhere on this site) is a weak answer. Seems like career politician behavior of the most blatant sort. "Hand caught in the cookie jar" with a rather disingenuous apology and offer to put the cookies back! In their perplexing endorsement of Ouimet, AA.com goes on to state that Christine Green "has strengths as well. Her focus is on making government more efficient and avoiding tax increases to make Michigan more competitive. She also has strong stands on such issues as tying tax incentives to real job creation." Thank you Mr. Wieder for your article regards Mr. Ouimet, it has certainly been of the utmost relevance! I found it thoughtful and well stated. I wonder all the more at AA.com's endorsement of him. As a tax payer, I very much worry that Ouimet will transport his 'career politician' behaviors to Lansing, and find his hand in a much larger cookie jar! Chris Green is a fresh voice, looking to make positive changes on behalf of Michigan residents, coming from the trenches, and deserves public support at the polls. Michigan will never find it's way out of our current crisis if career politicians like Ouimet continue their careers! We need to move Michigan forward with new energy and new perspectives. Christine Green wants to move Michigan forward, she will do this when elected to the legislature.
Justice In Action
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
It is hard to say whether Mark Quimet should be disqualified from the State House Race over this per diem travel business. However, it seems very clear that he requested and received tax payers money that does not belong to him. It is also odd that he mentions giving the money to charity, especially since he is the Vice-Chair of that charity's Board of Directors. It's just a little bit too murky.
NoSUVforMe
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 6:07 p.m.
Why is this a story? All Republicans say one thing and do another. Ouimet is just following the party line.
David Briegel
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 2:58 p.m.
jsa, Tom is on the side of the real people. This was clearly an abuse of the honor system. That is how we really find out how "honorable a person really is!! The ACLU is on the side of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Have you read it lately?
Roadman
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
".....I did no personal injury work and Christine Green did almost exclusively employment law." That was your response to a poster who had suggested that Christine was "an ambulance chasing cohort" of yours. While I disapprove of that characterization, Tom, check the "About Me" section of Christine Green's campaign website in which she herself claims "Personal Injury" as one of her areas of practice. Personal injury attorneys are an integral part of our legal system, Tom, but do not make them our elected leaders. Mr. Geoff Fieger learned this in 1998 when he ran for governor. No personal injury attorneys have ever served on Ann Arbor City Council. Ann Arbor's Mr. Bernstein was denied the Democratic Attorney General nomination. He is a famous personal injury litigator and television personality.
JSA
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 11:27 a.m.
Give me a break. Like an attorney who works primarily for the ACLU is unbiased.
Forever27
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 9:51 a.m.
It's funny, not one of the people trying to stick up for Quimet can actually point to facts to disprove this situation. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and there's nothing that can change that. You can throw out Red Herrings and Ad Hominems all you want, nothing will change the fact that Quimet got caught stealing.
eclectablog
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 9:47 a.m.
I find it interesting/amusing that Ouimet's defenders spend more time attacking the messenger in this issue and questioning the timing of the release of information than they do addressing the core issue. Wieder is spot-on in his assessment that matters fiscal malfeasance on this scale SHOULD disqualify a candidate for higher office. "He gives it away to charity!" they say. "He's so rich he doesn't need the money" I'm told. "He goes to SO many meetings". Well, I don't care if he does go to a lot of meetings. If I got extra money to do so, I would, too! And just because he gives the money away, it's still wrong. If a bank robber gives back the loot after he's caught, he's still a bank robber. Ouimet's abuse of the per diem system along with his lying on his endorsement webpage (http://is.gd/gms5s) until he is caught points to an arrogant attitude that it's okay if you get away with it and only wrong if you get caught. These things DO disqualify him for State House, in my opinion. Fortunately we have another dedicated public servant, Scio Township Trustee Christine Green, on the ballot. Green is a woman who is equally qualified for the job and is a fine choice for our district.
HaeJee
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 9:26 a.m.
I would have always considered myself independent until I started reading current events online and reading comments. I have to say, reading comments from the self proclaimed conservatives makes me sick at times. Although I am on the fence regards to issues, I could never align myself with people that speak so harshly (Beck, Rush, Palin), in addition to insulting my intelligences with non-sensible gibberish that lacks any point outside of trying to ignite hate. You can now add Shirvell to that pot. @Applewhite, when you speak of bankrupt, are you referring to the blank check that Bush and his administration spent on the war? Are you referring to the lack of regulations that exist for big business? Comments like yours make independent voters like myself cringe at the thought of siding with logic like yours. Every stone you throw, two can come back your way. No party is more right than another. It should come down to issues, yet many conservative commenters only make attacking unproven comments. It really hurts your party more than help.
Top Cat
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 8:04 a.m.
It is now apparent that the Democrats on the state and local level have adopted the national Democratic strategy of "change the subject." Don't talk about unemployment and the sorry condition of the economy. Don't talk about the failed collectivist policies that are preventing a recovery. Don't talk about strategies for growth. Change the subject and talk about something else. Guess what, it won't work.
MjC
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 7:22 a.m.
"Did Ouimet ask for and receive thousands of dollars in per diem payments (not reimbursements), plus mileage reimbursements, that he was not entitled to receive under the rules of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, rules that he voted to approve every year for the last six years? The answer is clearly Yes. " No, the issue here is WHY did Ouimet submit receipts that were APPROVED for reimbursement? If the expenses didn't qualify, they should have never been reimbursed in the first place. I'd like to know whose signature is on all those vouchers.
Marshall Applewhite
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 7:20 a.m.
The Dems are really sending out the attack dogs. This means they are either: 1. Very worried that they will lose this race, or 2. Trying to begin a smear campaign because they believe Ouimet has even higher aspirations. Nevermind the fact that the Dems have bankrupted this state to ensure Union jobs that were no longer commercially viable anyways. Seems like they are in for quite a rude awakening this election cycle. I definitely see Mr. Briegel weeping tears of unfathomable sadness next Tuesday.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 6:29 a.m.
Another problem: as Ron G says "The county clerk says 51% of the claims did not satisfy the rules." Why did the Claims get paid? Who paid them? Was a system in place to reject them? Have any claims been rejected? Why would some claims be rejected while others paid?. Should not those '51% of the claims that did not satisfy the rules' been rejected in the first place? There is your problem Wieder! Seems as though there is no enforcement in the payroll division. The Democrats have run the County Commissioner Office and the payroll office for decades now. It appears that the Democrats have been paying out all claims without question.
Killosaur
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 5:13 a.m.
Ouimet is the hardest working commissioner in recent history. As a Scio Township taxpayer, I'm happy to have paid Mark $18 a day more than his predecessors. This is a non issue. Wieder is a bully and AnnArbor.com is a Democratic lap dog.
InsideTheHall
Wed, Oct 27, 2010 : 5:11 a.m.
ACLU, that is all we need to know here. One of Green's ambulance chasing cohorts. This is what it is....a baseless opinion piece from the fringe left.
Ron Granger
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 11:21 p.m.
The county clerk says 51% of the claims did not satisfy the rules. That is objective enough for me. I read a lot of spinning and twisting here on things that aren't directly relevant. Doing more work could explain some of it, but the numbers seem to go well past that threshold when compared with the other board members. To me, it looks like milking the system. What charity is supposedly involved? If someone mentions "charity!" as a mitigating factor, specifics become important. Not all "charities" are as meritorious as others.
Historic District
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 11:11 p.m.
Mr. Wieder, thank you so incredibly much for your perceived vigilance. You are the public's perceived watchdog. Your perceived strong efforts in bringing these perceived improprieties to light will undoubtedly serve you well in future endeavors. I ask just one thing of you moving forward - that you please return to wherever you came from post-election so that we don't have to hear from you again for at least another 2 years. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation!
Roadman
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 10:45 p.m.
In a July 28, 2010 annarbor.com article regarding attorney Michael Rataj, who was defending Hutaree militia member Tina Stone, Tom Wieder posted his dismay about annarbor.com's disclosure that Rataj owed $39,000 in student loans he defaulted on that were incurred when Rataj was in law school. He interestingly expresses disapproval about the fact someone bothered to dig up dirt on Rataj and was curious to know if the source was the government, an anonymous tip, or whether annarbor.com did it themselves. He goes on to state that such disclosures only discourage attorneys from representing unpopular defendants. It seems that Stu Dowty, Tom Wieder and the county Democratic party feel its all right to dig up dirt on people like Mark Ouimet, but Wieder vehemently objects if the same conduct is directed to a fellow member of the State Bar. Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black, Tom? Should not sauce for the goose be sauce for the gander? Please show me the difference between your attacks on Mr. Ouimet and the supposedly unfair mudslinging upon Michael Rataj, a fellow Bar member of yours. If Michael Rataj was running for the State House do believe his loan defaults would be fair game? What about if Mr. Ouimet had loan defaults?
treetowncartel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 10:10 p.m.
One other thing, if you are just going to turn around and give the mileage money back, why even go through the process of getting it only to give it back?
Josh Zincke
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 10:04 p.m.
Smear campaign from Thomas F. Wieder. By doing this it only makes you and Chris Green look like people who are trying to pull anything you can to win a losing campaign. I believe AnnArbor.com should delete this story because its from your standpoint and no other sources. If you want people to vote for Chris Green you should go door to door talking about what your going to do for the people not writing an article smearing the competition. Thanks from this junk I will now be voting the other guy.
treetowncartel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 9:27 p.m.
I will gladly accept $20,000 to donate to charity in my name from any one posting on this board, that will save me some big cheese come tax time. If it is the per diems that are donated, something that is probably declared as income, and the expense reimbursments which are not, that even makes it a little bit more of a herring that should have its red paint removed. 55 cents a mile when a gallon costs roughly $3 is a pretty good rate of return on non taxable money.
Sean Gray
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 8:56 p.m.
For those of who know Mark Ouimet, we know that he isn't in government/ public service for the money. According to Mr. Weider, "Ouimet received a total of $32,805 in per diems fees and mileage, an average of $6,561 a year." He failed to mention that Mark gives his entire salary to charity, [about $18,000], and all of his travel expenses [$3,000], back to the County general fund. Why would a person who was in it for the money, give away over $20,000? Give away a legit $20K and then take an illegit $6K? Really? Pair the foregoing reality up with the timing of the contemptuous accusations against Mark and it smells of pure, political theatre. Sean Gray Candidate for Washtenaw County Commissioner Pittsfield Township
David Briegel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 8:49 p.m.
Mr Builder, Please explain the negative reference to labels like intellectual and elite. Are you anti-intellectual? Are the Republican/Conservative billionaires elite? You know, the ones that fund the beloved Tea Party? Has Mr Ouimet denied receiving these funds? Then why must we use "alleged"? I am confident that if this were a leading Dem you fiscal conservatives would actually live up to your label! Something you cannot bring yourselves to do with one of your own.
aatownie
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 8:26 p.m.
and you 'Roadman' have no affiliation that you would like to divulge?
Roadman
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 7:58 p.m.
What Tom Wieder does not tell you is that he is a an ultraliberal Democratic Party insider whose venomous attacks upon Mark Ouimet are motivated by the fact that he is closely aligned with fellow Michigan Bar member Chris Green, who is running against Ouimet. Check the Seretary of State, Federal Election Commission and County Clerk election websites and you will notice that Tom Wieder has pumped thousands of dollars into Democratic Party candidates and causes the last several years. I can find no evidence Wieder ever has held elected office, which is a good thing. The "October Sunrise" smear of Ouimet was a pet project of Democratic Party insiders engineered to help Chris Green into the State House. I tried to discover what Mr. Wieder currently does for a living and apparently he owns a furniture making firm (correct me if I am wrong, Tom). He does not mention that. Over $16,000 of mileage and per diem fees were declared properly payable by Larry Kestenbaum, which makes Ouimet legally and rightfully earning the highest amount of mileage and per diem amounts of any comiisiioner. That alone is an indidcia of the amount of work he has done for the county. Mark Ouimet's claims for these reimbursemnts were never denied by the County payroll office. No one has ruled out that Mark Ouimet was simply making an honest mistake in believing all items submitted were properly payable. The fact that these items were being regularly approved for payment for years would lead a reasonable person in the shoes of Mr. Ouimet to believe he was doing everything right. If anyone should be at fault it was those responsible for not reviewing these items claimed for payment at the time they were being submitted. Not having a viable review system in place smacks of gross negligence. Instead of privately conducting an internal audit and requesting repayment of excessive sums from those commissioners who were overpaid, Mr. Wieder instead uses the findings to publically damage the reputation of Commissioner Ouimet so he will lose the election to his candidate, Ms. Green. The Kestenbaum Report actually makes findings that almost all the commissioners, except for Ronnie Peterson, had taken improper or questionable reimbursements of mileage or per diems. Under the Wieder standard almost all menbers of the County Commission have egg on their faces. Even though Commisioner Jessica Ping has thousands of dollars of improper or questionable reimbursements, Wieder doesn't make any big deal about Miss Ping, apparently since she is retiring and attacking her would not improve the chances of getting Ms. Green elected. The Wieder conduct in foisting this story into the public arena has also brought a certain degree of embarrassment to other County Commissioners as well. Commissioner Leah Gunn had to publically defend reimbursements on items found questionable by the Kestenbaum Report and reportedly issued a repayment check to the County. Commissioner Barbara Levin Bergman also pledged to repay all questionable/non-allowable items found in the Kestenbaum Report, which was around $1,500.00. Commissioner Kristin Judge publically promised reimbusrements of sums referenced as not proper payable to her or questionable. This matter as a whole has cast a cloud of suspicion over the Commission for lacking the sufficient oversight to prevent overpayments from occurring in the first place. A system of checks and balances should have been in place from the get-go; this something every single commissioner shares in blame to some extent. County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum now has found himself under fire by those who have opined that the report is slanted since Larry is a Democrat and Ouimet is Republican; I do not share this view. I am glad this issue of improper reimbursements has been brought to the attention of the County Commission and appropriate remedial action is being taken. My beef with Wieder is that it was motivated by his desire to get Chris Green into the State House. Tom Wieder is a partisan political opportunist whose brand of attacks have no place in Ann Arbor politics. He has in the past attacked Democrat Leigh Greden, currently an EMU official and former Ann Arbor City Council for years over alleged campaign finance improprieties even though Greden paid all money back that was at issue. Several weeks ago the Republican nominee for state representative was heavily criticized for insulting Congressman Dingell and giving him the finger. Wieder's behavior is not much better. In fact, its arguably worse. There needs to be a clear message sent to Stu Dowty, the Democratic Party chair in Washtenaw County and to Wieder that this mudslinging baloney should stop. It will only hurt Democratic interests in the long run. I know of no County Commissioner who is happy over Wieder's actions; if some County Commissioner does approve it, let me know. I have a great deal of respect for Mark Ouimet and the other members of the County Commission. They work hard for all Washtenaw residents. Mark Ouimet has advanced the spirit of bi-partisanship in Washtenaw County and has formed strong relationships with Democrats and his constituents. He is a longtime close friend of GOP chairman Ron Weiser and his connections in these regards could be very helpful if Rick Snyder, another Weiser insider, is elected as governor. He will be a far superior state representative than Chris Green. Mark Ouimet deserves voter support next Tuesday.
sbbuilder
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 7:40 p.m.
The red herring here is the absence of the word 'alleged'. If this were a news story, that precious word would be included in every statement referring to Mr Ouimet's actions. But it isn't there. Nope, not a single time. If this were the Wild West, you guys would have lynched him a long time ago. What about due process? What about getting to the bottom of an issue before coming to any conclusions? Nah, that would be too good for the likes of Mr Ouimet. After all, you guys are the hard core liberal intellectual elite, and when you pronounce innocence or guilt, it's the same as God's Holy Writ. You guys never use words like 'may', or 'could', or 'might'. No room for doubt when you know everything already. There's only room for one opinion in the room, and that is yours. So much for tolerance, or diversity of opinion, or whatever else you guys tout as meaningful.
David Briegel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 7:09 p.m.
Heardoc, Oh those evil, radical leftists. Golly gee. They probably don't even like apple pie or their Mom. Radical left. Radical leftist? Gee, get a grip! Kris Judge is a centrist. Mr. Ouimet seems to be a glad hander who just has to show up. Workhorse vs. showhorse. Mark is not running against Kris Judge! The nest time you want people to believe you are a fiscal conservative, remember your ironic position. Fiscal Conservative Republicans are supposed to be better. Aren't they?? Except when they aren't! I will gladly vote for Christine Green!
Ralph
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 6:32 p.m.
Al Capone was a thief, but everybody thought he was a great guy because he ran a soup kitchen to feed the homeless during the great depression. That still doesn't excuse the crimes he committed.
Heardoc
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 6:02 p.m.
Well, no shortage of the radical left here in this blog. Why don't we compare Quimet and his spending to that of the dems? I believe that this was done -- and I believe that this showed a greater problem with Judge and the other leftists on the board. Hmmmmm.... funny how that was overlooked. Did we forget that those making these accusations are from the radical left? This is an election year and it is late October -- with the election 1 week away -- maybe all this false indignation is from the radical left in a last gasp as they know their power is about to be taken away.
StarZone
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 5:12 p.m.
"Ouimet deserves a medal for just the 'attending of over 1,000 meetings' in the county!" I'm sorry, why should we thank him? Just for doing his job? Ouimet once said we should thank him for wanting to go to Hawaii for a HR conference that dealt with benefits. He didn't go, as I recall, because of pressure over why the County needed to send so many delegates to the conference. Being an elected official means you have to travel to meet your constituents. And yes, he has a larger geographic terrain to traverse than others. But it's not county business for him to maintain those ties to the electorate.
treetowncartel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:44 p.m.
I'm not taking sides here, but I will point out it is harder to travel in the more populated areas of the county due to all the traffic lights and traffic than it is in the outskirts of the county.
David Briegel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:34 p.m.
donottaunt, His District is the same size as when he ran for office. The same size! What is your point?
Vivienne Armentrout
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.
Here's a bulletin - all commissioners and indeed all politicians attend lots of meetings, unless they are complete deadwood. It is part of the job description to go (uncompensated) to community meetings, planning meetings, meetings with other elected officials, ceremonial meetings, award meetings, neighborhood meetings, political events, picnics, and even committee meetings. The politician does this as part of the job, because it is expected, or for political reasons (to connect with constituents). I'm curious whether any township officials are paid to go to meetings (other than their stipends). I know Ann Arbor city officials are not.
RU4A2
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:32 p.m.
Elections become harder each year. With the corruption and misrepresentation of the candidates, I think I'll close my eyes and throw a dart at my ballot and see what happens.
Heretoday&tomorrow
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:18 p.m.
'Mark O. has been to over a 1,000 meetings!' 'Attended..'.did he actually do anything other than 'attend' meetings? We all have someone we work with who is at every meeting, just sits there, avoids any action items or real work but thinks he should be paid as much if not more than those who attend meetings AND work on the problems discussed at the meetings. Showing up isn't getting stuff done necessarily. What a sterling defense of Mark - that he attended over a 1,000 meetings. Is that it? I'm fine giving him a medal, but I want the thousands of misused county tax money returned to the country treasury in return for the medal (I'll donate the medal if need be).
David Briegel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:03 p.m.
It truly is sad, very sad, to observe the extent to which the self proclaimed fiscal conservatives tap dance around these issues to defend something that has no defense. Now, if only Sarah Palin would endorse Mr Ouimet. Thank you Mr. Wieder! I believe Christine Green will make a great State Rep.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:01 p.m.
I guess having 8 or so separate governing entities in his district which must be over some 300 square miles itself counts for nothing regarding travel. Wieder is simply bashing. Mr. Wieder how big are the districts? How many meetings did Mark actually miss? His attendance record is amazing. Mark O. has been to over a 1,000 meetings! Ouimet deserves a medal for just the 'attending of over 1,000 meetings' in the county! I know Mark - he cares about Washtenaw - he has proved it - he will do much more in Lansing.
Bob Martel
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 4:01 p.m.
Mark's behavior in this affair has been despicable. He's caught like a deer in the headlights and as far as I can tell, hasn't refuted any of the claims of impropriety besides calling for an independent review and offering to pay back any funds deemed illegally paid to him. By taking this approach, he is basically admitting guilt and just waiting for someone to tell him how much. If he has legitimate arguments to substantiate these payments he should make them publicly or make full restitution now and search deeply within himself to see if he is really qualified to run for State Representative.