PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Portage City Council has officially accepted the resignation of fellow council member Lisa Brayton.
Council member Terry Urban pointed out that the state gives them 60 days to find a replacement and they are close enough to the November election to perhaps let it slide.
At their meeting Tuesday night, the majority of the council seemed anxious to put the matter behind them, saying there are plenty of qualified residents who could step in for a few meetings, including former council members.
They did not outline how they will go about finding her replacement.
Council member Burns says current candidates will be excluded from consideration.
Brayton resigned last week after an investigation into her residency was launched. She listed an address on Austin Lake as her residence, but because it was being rebuilt, she wasn’t actually living there.
Whether or not Brayton was eligible to sit on the Portage City Council, the City Attorney says none of the actions she took while in office should be invalidated.
City Attorney Catherine Hoffman says the city doesn’t have to worry about the votes she took while in office. They still count.
Hoffman says she looked into case law and found three old cases, including one from 100 years ago in Kalamazoo that support her opinion.
City Manager Pat McGinnis says after a review of 43 meetings, there were only a couple where Brayton’s votes made a difference in the outcome of a measure.
The Michigan State Police and the Attorney General’s Office have apparently been investigating the residency question at the request of the City Council, and Brayton had been asked to submit all the addresses she has been living at for the past few years. The deadline for a response was 12 noon Tuesday.
