Ammerman Rehire & Severance Pay Looks Like Attempt to Steal From City Coffers

Written by John Face

Opinion

October 23, 2023

On Thursday, August 10, the Economic Development Corporation Board (EDC) met in the City of Albion Council chambers for their meeting. The main focus of their meeting was the status of their President and CEO, Virgie Ammerman. After a three-hour meeting, the EDC Board voted for Ammerman’s removal. That action began a non-stop series of meetings and attempted meetings over the last two months. Members of the EDC were illegally removed by the Albion City Council even though their legal council told them they couldn’t do that. Click here for a link to the City Watch Series on the EDC.

Money for Nothing

On October 11, 2023, the City of Albion paid Virgie Ammerman $47,891.50 for a severance package stipulated in her contract. Ammerman receiving this money is perfectly legal. It would take what happened since her firing that will push the boundary of legality to the edge. Almost immediately after being fired, Jerome Harvey, Interim EDC Board Chair, Vicky Clark, EDC Board member and former Albion City Council member, have worked to rehire Ammerman.

Harvey and Clark have been trying to give Ammerman an employment contract, making it virtually impossible to fire her in the future. Harvey used an illegal interpretation of an EDC Resolution and installed Ammerman forcefully without board approval on October 9 but as an unpaid volunteer EDC contractor acting as the EDC President. Take note that Harvey didn’t tell anyone except Clark and Ammerman about this move until, wait for it, October 11. Just so you understand, there is no proof that the document sent on the 11th to other EDC Board members and City Council was written on the 9th.

Many questioned why she would do this for free; now, it’s easy to see that she has been living off her severance pay.

Fired? Take Severance? Repay?

Yeah, the amount of questions that have come up in the last few days has been many. But let us address a couple. Ammerman was looking to get herself rehired with Harvey and Clark as co-conspirators, with back pay built into the contracts they were offering her, but with zero mention of paying back her severance. So, let me make this clear. They had every intention with each attempt at having an EDC meeting to hire Ammerman and pay her thousands in back pay for not working after being paid a severance. In any public discussions of the “new” contract offered, none of these three mention $47,891.50.

If you or I take a severance from our employer, then get hired as a volunteer at the organization doing the same job, then get offered another contract with back pay built-in BUT no mention of repaying that severance you took, I am pretty sure there is some law being broken.

Who is Supposed to be Overseeing This?

The Albion City Council, which is happily spending tax money to fight a lawsuit regarding their actions in removing the EDC Board members, is entirely responsible for overseeing the EDC Board. The council will not stop Harvey, Clark, and Ammerman from taking money from the taxpayers. They have thumbed their noses to the voters in Albion, who do have the power to make changes via recall, but this has yet to happen.

Harvey, Clark, and Ammerman’s actions appear illegal and must be addressed by State Authorities such as the Attorney General or Michigan State Police.