Yelling, accusations of bullying turn Michigan redistricting meeting into chaos
A Thursday meeting of Michigan's redistricting commission saw accusations of bullying, yelling, a failed censure vote against the group's chair and a public apology for the tense exchanges that came as the group stares down multiple lawsuits and faces the sudden resignation of its top lawyer.
Only weeks ago, commissioners cheered and hugged one another after adopting new congressional and state legislative districts with few hiccups. The achievement prompted anti-gerrymandering advocates across the country to herald the commission's work and tout the state's commission as a model for how a randomly selected group of voters can draw fair voting districts.
But the group's Thursday meeting saw some of the harshest bickering among commissioners yet and revealed new vulnerabilities in the group's dynamics as it faces pending litigation that threatens to force commissioners to return to the drawing board.
Republican Commissioner Rhonda Lange introduced a motion to censure the commission's chair, Rebecca Szetela, accusing the group's leader of personally attacking other commissioners and staff.
"I have personally felt bullied," said Lange, her voice shaking. "It's not only affected me."
She acknowledged that her motion to censure Szetela might set her up for retaliation, but said she didn't want to lean into the "kumbaya feeling" in the group and "turn a blind eye" to what she said was unacceptable behavior from the commission's chair.
Szetela has at times publicly sparred with commissioners and has been accused of making snarky comments, but the group stood by her Thursday.
The censure motion failed when only two commissioners — Republican Erin Wagner and Democrat Dustin Witjes — joined Lange in support of the measure. Szetela abstained from the vote, citing a conflict of interest.
As she laid out her concerns with Szetela, Lange was interrupted multiple times by Democratic Commissioner Brittni Kellom.
"Will someone please step in," Kellom said. "This is a nightmare."
Her attempts to bring an end to the conversation were rebuffed, and after the censure vote, Kellom apologized for the chaotic meeting.
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"(I) want to apologize to the public for having to see this wonderful group have the tough conversation that we had," she said. "Hopefully we can move forward in teamwork and not slanderous behavior, and learn to properly vocalize when we have conflict."
Independent Commissioner Anthony Eid told the Free Press that the transparency requirements outlined in the Michigan Constitution force the group to have out in the open some conversations it would prefer to conduct privately.
"Tensions are high, but let’s not act like it’s the end of the world," he said. "We’ve already adopted maps, and I think the fact that those maps were adopted with bipartisan support through this transparent process should be the thing that inspires confidence."
The tension among the commissioners — who were meeting virtually — built up prior to the censure vote.
The group discussed how to address a potential $827,000 budget deficit it faces in light of anticipated legal expenses.
Lange suggested lowering commissioners' salaries, an idea that was shot down by the group. Kellom said that the group has no idea what additional work lies ahead as it faces pending litigation and acknowledged commissioners' hard work, "especially those that are getting up out of the house to do the work."
Lange — who has never attended a commission meeting in-person, citing medical reasons — accused Kellom of personally attacking her and asked Szetela to reprimand Kellom.
Szetela declined, but reminded commissioners to behave in a respectful manner. "Let's try to turn the heat down a little bit on this meeting," she said.
The commissioners also debated whether to approve about $50,000 for a production contract for a documentary — labeled a "lessons learned" video — to recap the group’s redistricting process.
Lange and Wagner have refused to participate in the film. In an email to the commission’s communications and outreach director, Edward Woods III, Lange said that she and Wagner "are adamantly against using taxpayer funds" for the video. The two commissioners were the only ones to vote against moving forward with the film.
"To say that we have had a somewhat contentious meeting today would be an understatement," Independent Commissioner Steve Lett said at one point during the meeting.
The mood turned somewhat brighter when commissioners ended the meeting by thanking their general counsel, Julianne Pastula, for her service to the commission following her sudden notice of resignation late Wednesday.
The commission is planning to discuss a transition plan at an upcoming meeting. The group did not discuss what prompted the resignation, and Pastula declined to comment on her decision.
The group is currently facing a lawsuit filed in the Michigan Supreme Court alleging that its voting districts would illegally disenfranchise Black voters and a federal lawsuit challenging population differences in its congressional districts.
More challenges may be on the way.
In a Thursday morning news release from the League of Women Voters of Michigan, the group claimed that the commission "failed to approve fair maps" and plans to hold a news conference Friday to "outline future legal action and goals."
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan redistricting commission meeting gets tense amid accusations
