“Let us Pray” – WTF? – EDC Temporary Board Chair Thumbs his Nose at Rules and Decency

Written by John Face

Opinion

September 29, 2023

As Jerome Harvey tried to call the meeting to order on September 28, he lacked a quorum to do business. Vicky Clark was the only other board member of the Albion Economic Development Corporation Board (EDC) in attendance. This same scenario has occurred multiple times since EDC President Virgie Ammerman was fired. After that firing by the EDC Board, the Albion City Council removed four members of the EDC board who voted to fire Ammerman.

Harvey has yet to gain experience running a meeting, even one that is not official. After he called his nonmeeting to order, he called on a local pastor and had him pray. Yes, Jerome Harvey had a Christian pastor pray before the meeting. Typically, public Boards have a moment of silence. Harvey acknowledged that but still went full bore with prayer, never mind to other religions or those who don’t attend church or practice a religion. Harvey just flipped off Muslims, atheists, different religions, and those of the Jewish faith because his religion is more important.

Harvey would eventually tell the audience what they wanted to do, which was to re-hire Ammerman, effectively giving her a position she can’t be fired from and paying her around $40,000 more per year than she should make. As City Watch has reported (CLICK THIS LINK TO GO READ THE ENTIRE SERIES), she cannot do the job even after the EDC board spent thousands to coach her. So why are Jerome Harvey and Vicky Clark hell-bent on hiring someone who appears incompetent? Follow the money.

If they can get Ammerman hired, they can spend the EDC money in any way they see fit, even if it is against the law to spend money that way. Why? Well, the Albion City Council would be the ones to police the EDC, and with the majority of the council showing they are fine breaking the law, Albion is in a bad place.

During this non-meeting, Harvey and Clark openly violated the Open Meetings Act by leaving the chambers and meeting in the hallway in private, which is forbidden by law.

Ultimately, Harvey would return and tell those in attendance that they had difficulty finding a third board member to attend the meeting. They would hold off closing the meeting, hoping to get a quorum later in the day.

As far as this writer knows, the meeting did not continue later in the day.

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