EXCLUSIVE: Meridian Township manager’s future up in the air

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh will face scrutiny Tuesday night as the Board of Trustees meets in a closed session to conduct his performance review and apply the findings of an outside legal firm’s investigation into complaints against Walsh by employees of the township.

The Board will recess to a closed session to discuss a “personnel matter.” Walsh’s future with Meridian Township and as manager could be on the line, Township employees with knowledge of board policies and protocols confirm with 6 News.

Walsh’s annual performance review was delayed in December 2023, employees with direct knowledge tell 6 News. They say the delay was to allow the investigation by Heidi Hudson, an outside legal counsel from the Zausmer law firm in Southfield, to be conducted and completed.

Through an extensive investigation involving numerous sources and thousands of documents, 6 News has learned Township Supervisor Patricia Herring Jackson and Supervisor Pro Tem Scott Hendrickson were notified of formal complaints against Walsh on Aug. 10, 2023.

“I cannot speak to the ongoing investigation,” Walsh wrote in an email in response to detailed questions about what 6 News had discovered.

“On the advice of Township counsel, the Board has no comment on any investigation that may or may not be ongoing,” Township Supervisor Pro-Tem Scott Hendrickson wrote on behalf of the Board in response to detailed questions about the investigation of Walsh.

Those complaints stem from allegations of unfair distribution of employee wellness and recognition dollars and Walsh’s management practices. Sources say Walsh’s outside consulting business and his use of township resources were also brought into the investigation.

Walsh’s management style has resulted in what numerous sources say is a “toxic” workplace.

All of the sources who spoke to 6 News for this reporting were granted anonymity because they fear retaliation from Walsh and they remain actively involved at the township. 6 News relied on sources verifying information provided, often independently of one other, as well as cross-referencing with thousands of pages of documents.

Financial Concerns

Half a dozen employees interviewed by 6 News say Hudson asked them about the distribution of the township’s employee wellness and recognition funds. All expressed misgivings about the expenditures.

Over the past two years, Meridian Township budgeted $35,762.76 in taxpayer cash for employee wellness and recognition. That includes trivia games, employee recognition meals, and entertainment and awards. In those two years, the Township also received $6,767.68 in donations to support these activities, according to the township treasurer.

However each of the employees expressed concern to the investigator about the “equity” in the way Walsh distributed money during “Friday Funday” events and the township’s version of an employee of the year award. They say Walsh is the only person who decides who gets cash awards and adds free hours to employees’ vacation banks.

For several years, the township has given an employee the Archie Virtue Award. That’s the township’s version of the “employee of the year.” The selected winner receives a cash bonus. Runners-up also receive cash awards.

While Walsh solicits nominations for the awards, employees say he alone determines the winners and runners-up, and that there are no clear guidelines on how he makes that determination.

One runner-up for the award was given $1,000 as a runner-up in 2023. That recipient says they told the investigator well before receiving the award they were aware they would be winning an award and considered the cash as a “bribe to keep my mouth shut.”

It is unclear if Walsh was aware of who made complaints against him or who was a witness in the investigation. Some of the witnesses and complainants had already been interviewed by Hudson as part of the investigation before the annual holiday party in December when the Archie Virtue Awards were announced and awarded.

John Peliserro is a government ethics expert with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California.

Of the cash awards to people who were witnesses or complainants against Walsh, Peliserro says there is an ethics concern.

“There it appears not ethical, OK?” he tells 6 News. “And that in itself creates an ethical issue for the manager and for the Township government to have these things just be subject to the total discretion of the manager.”

In addition to the cash awards attached to the Archie Virtue Awards and Friday Funday events, Walsh has also handed out free vacation days and hours to employees without any process, sources and documents reveal.

“The money we have spent on employee wellness and recognition is a required expense that is specified in the bargaining contract with our unions,” Township Treasurer Phil Deschaine tells 6 News in an email. “Approximately 90% of Meridian Township employees are members of and represented by labor unions. Every year our auditor and legal counsel affirm that these township expenses for employee wellness and employee recognition are legal and required by our collective bargaining contracts.”

Union contract language provided by Deschaine provides for the expense, but it is not “required” as Deschaine claimed. The language says the township “may” provide such programming and bonuses and rewards.

He also noted the costs were low in relation to the overall budget.

“The $17,206 spent on employee wellness and employee retention in 2023 represents .007% of our 22-million-dollar annual budget,” he wrote.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report is part of an extensive investigation by 6 News. It involved numerous confidential sources and thousands of pages of public documents. The investigation stems from dissatisfaction employees and residents of Meridian Township have had over an investigation being conducted by an outside law firm into allegations and concerns over Walsh’s manager practices from human resources activity to the handling of township dollars. 

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In 2022, budget documents show Meridian Township paid out at least $18,556.01 in employee wellness and recognition awards and meals. Of that total, Deschaine says $3,000 was donated. Those donations came from contractors who do business with the township, including the Township’s legal firm, Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes.

Employees tell 6 News Walsh and others ask for donations from the contractors. The ethics expert Peliserro also questioned the township’s solicitation of, and acceptance of, donations from contractors of the township.

“In general, it doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look appropriate,” he says.

Data provided by Deschaine reveals the township forked over $2,507.10 for food from Saddleback Bar-B-Q and $5,409.47 for shirts and uniforms from Allgraphics. Another $9,000 was handed out to the winners and runners-up of the Archie Virtue Awards in 2022.

In 2023, taxpayers forked over $17,206.07 in cash prizes and food for the employee wellness and recognition program. Another $3,767.68 was donated for these purposes, again by Township contractors. Walsh also donated $267.68 to cover a retirement breakfast for outgoing Chief of Police Ken Plaga. Employees say Walsh had originally paid for the breakfast on the Meridian Township credit card. The holiday party included $3,001.25 from Morton’s Catering and $10,000 in cash giveaways to the winner of the Archie Virtue Awards and runners-up.

While the Board of Trustees approved most of the money for employee wellness, Peliserro says the concerns need to be public and transparent.

“The public should participate as much as they can in the public meetings of the township board,” he says. “And call out these things and ask for explanations as they learn more about them. It’s the only way to ensure that there’s to be greater transparency and disclosure about these kinds of activities. And then the public has an ability to judge whether they were appropriate or ethically questionable.”

“Dysfunctional” Workplace and Retaliation

Sources tell 6 News Hudson interviewed them about allegations of Walsh creating a toxic workplace environment.

Documents obtained by 6 News and interviews with current and former employees show instances where Walsh called out employees for not doing enough work or not performing the work in a manner he expected, during employee meetings and in front of colleagues.

Employees report that challenging Walsh would result in them being “iced out” and isolated from other employees and work-related activities.

The isolation has resulted in resignations from the township, sources tell 6 News, as well as a “dysfunctional” workplace where employees avoid challenging Walsh or raising concerns for fear of being targeted.

In addition, complaints against Walsh include allegations of inappropriate language and concerns about hiring practices, employees tell 6 News.

In at least one instance, sources say they complained to the investigator about Walsh’s casual use of the word “rape” during a meeting of the Township Board on May 2, 2023.

In a discussion about Metronet contractors working without permits in the township, Walsh addressed the Board.

“I am not happy. Something has to be done. Our township residents are being basically raped by these contractors,” he said. The comments were recorded as part of the Township’s broadcast of its meetings. The comment can be found at about 1 hour and 27 minutes into the recording.

No elected official challenged Walsh’s use of the comparison at that time. It is unclear if Walsh’s comments were challenged privately by Board members.

During the December 2023 Archie Virtue Awards and holiday party, Walsh presented an employee who is a member of the LGBTQ community with the township’s “Rainbow Award.” Sources tell 6 News the award appeared to them to be tokenism and offensive.

Walsh tells 6 News the employee was “thrilled to receive the award.”

Multiple sources report to 6 News that African American employees of the township are often pressured to lead or engage in the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the township. Those directives would have made employees work on duties outside the scope of their responsibilities. Despite protests, those sources say Walsh continued to direct Black employees to engage in the DEI programming and activities.

The hiring of Assistant Township Manager Dan Opsommer and Parks and Recreation Director Courtney Wisinski have also raised concerns, sources tell 6 News. Both were elected officials on the Township Board at the time they were hired. Multiple employees interviewed say neither Wisinski nor Opsommer had the necessary educational background, professional licensing or work experience for the positions they were hired.

Wilinski was hired over applicants with professional credentials and experience running parks and recreation activities, sources tell 6 News and documents reveal.

As part of the responsibility as Assistant Township Manager Opsommer was also assigned the duties of director of the Department of Public Works. As part of his responsibilities in that role, sources tell 6 News, that he is required to review and approve engineering requests. Opsommer was offered the position without a search, documents obtained by 6 News show. Walsh decided to hire him, then asked the Township Board to pass a resolution waiving the requirement for a national search.

The Board did so in 2022.

The Process

What outside attorney Heidi Hudson of the Zausmer law firm found during the investigation remains obscured behind attorney-client privilege. Hudson has been billing township legal counsel firm Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes. 6 News has requested a full accounting of taxpayer money paid to Hudson for the investigation and is awaiting a response from the township to a Freedom of Information request.

Partial billing records obtained by 6 News show the township has paid at least $15,000 in legal fees related to the investigation of Walsh. This includes $901.41 paid to Hampton Inn and Suites for two days of meeting rooms in December.

Sources interviewed by 6 News confirm the hotel meeting rooms were used to interview township employees as part of the investigation.

Documents and interviews have revealed the following timeline in relation to the complaints against Walsh and the subsequent investigation.

• May 2023, first unofficial complaints begin to arrive in the Township Human Resources Department

• August 10, 2023, HR officials meet with Jackson and Hendrickson to present official complaints against Walsh and get direction on the next steps.

• August 14, 2023, HR officials meet with Jackson on next steps over complaints. HR officials are encouraged to conduct informal investigation of complaints and Walsh. HR officials note it would be inappropriate.

• August 28, 2023, Trustee Hendrickson notified Supervisor Jackson by email he is asking for a closed session during the Sept. 5, 2023, regular board meeting to discuss a personnel matter. The email includes township attorneys and seeks to clarify if the employee is required to request the closed session.

• Sept. 5, 2023, Meridian Township Board votes unanimously to go into closed session not discuss a personnel matter. Township Board did not have a request from Walsh to go into closed session.

• Sept. 14, 2023, Supervisor Jackson emails HR directing a report of complaints against Walsh be compiled and submitted to her. She emails later directing that the report be provided to Township Attorney Helen Mills.

• September 19, 2023, Township Board calls a closed session to discuss a written legal opinion with the township attorneys.

• December 14, 2023, Meridian Township Board of Trustees holds a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. The sole item on the agenda is a closed session to “discuss confidential legal opinion.”

• December 14, 2023, Township Board convenes publicly after the closed session at 6:19 p.m. Board adopts motion to “direct legal counsel to proceed as discussed in closed session.” The motion was adopted unanimously without discussion.

• March 17, 2024, Township Board convenes a special Sunday meeting at 10 a.m. “to consult with the Township attorney regarding a written legal opinion.” The meeting moved into closed session at 10:05 a.m. and lasted until 2:50 p.m.

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