EDC Board Needs Changes – Clark, Harvey, Time For You to Resign

Opinion

Written by John Face

October 11, 2023

Author Ramblings

While Vicky Clark and Jerome Harvey have tried countless times since August 10 to reinstate ousted Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Virgie Ammerman, questions need to be answered by them. Why? Why have you two been hell-bent on bringing back a President you have admitted in meetings doesn’t know how to do her job? What John? Did they admit Virgie Ammerman was incapable of being the EDC President?

Of course, they did. When these two EDC Board members voted to spend thousands of dollars of EDC tax money on coaching for her, they proved she was over her head. They voted to allow Ammerman help, proving that hiring someone with zero experience is one of the dumbest decisions the EDC board has ever made. Now, it took the entire Board to hire Ammerman, and it took almost that whole Board to fire her once they realized her personality could not be marketable for Albion.

Doesn’t Work and Play Well With Others

Ammerman was not only in trouble with her Board because of what appeared to be incompetence but also because the businesses in Albion, which she was supposed to be helping, couldn’t work with her. “Talking to her about what could be done to make Albion better was difficult for her to answer; at one point, it felt like she didn’t know how to answer that question,” said one business leader. Another said, “She didn’t seem to grasp that retaining business and helping them grow creates jobs.” One business leader was shocked, “I couldn’t believe she felt comfortable speaking badly of other leaders in Albion in front of me. I asked myself is this the type of person I want to work with?”

Back to my Original Rant

Back to the original issue, why are two EDC members trying so hard to get her back? Well, only Ammerman and they know. The public can make much speculation and has. Is she hiding something? Why would she access her EDC email after being fired, delete emails, steal private and public files, and download them to her personal server? Just a reminder to Clark and Harvey: there is an active Michigan State Police investigation regarding her stealing public files. So you are good with hiring someone and giving them a contract that makes it impossible to fire them?

Let’s Trash Talk Others

Having Vicky Clark sit in an open meeting and publicly decry that Peggy Sindt, a former EDC President, is why Albion is in a bad place is about the most asinine comment a public official has ever made in the City of Albion. Trust me that is saying a lot, considering I covered the Garrett Brown administration as he hired an eventual thief as City Manager who was also in a job over their head. Maybe Clark is trying to throw shade at Sindt to distract people from her poor (Clark) decisions on the EDC Board and when she was on Albion City Council.

Solution is Simple For the Next EDC Meeting

I suggest the four former EDC Board members illegally fired by the council attend the next meeting. I recommend they all take their places on the Board they held when the removal occurred and, if questioned, remind everyone that the City and EDC attorneys said they were illegally removed from their Board seats. Have in your hands the opinions of those lawyers and start doing the business of the EDC. I also suggest you vote not to offer Ammerman any severance. Her actions after being fired, stealing documents, and deleting emails go beyond cause for doing this. I suggest this Board then contact the Attorney General’s office requesting an investigation about the possibility of misuse of public funds that Ammerman used on questionable programs.

Time to Go

It is time for Vicky Clark and Jerome Harvey to resign from the EDC Board. They are trying to rehire Ammerman with a raise, knowing she can’t do the job. Their willingness to try and pay someone more money and look beyond what appears to be criminal acts is outright negligence. Resign, Albion can do better than you. 

I remind everyone Clark took questionable favors from former Albion College President Mathew Johnson while she was on the Albion City Council facing votes that would benefit Johnson—specifically, being offered a no-bid contract to hire her small cleaning company to clean a couple of buildings at the college. Since that has happened, Johnson lackeys employed by the college have intentionally filed false complaints about the leading company already cleaning the college and pushing for more work for Clark. These are the type of people who are making decisions in Albion.

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