No conflict of interest with brownfield development
By Barb Pert Templeton
During each Algonac City Council meeting there’s time set aside for public comments and every citizen who steps to the microphone is allotted five minutes to speak.
At the most recent council meeting on Sept. 3, Algonac resident Eileen Tesch, who was formally mayor in the city before being recalled in 2018 and also happens to be employed by Blue Water Healthy Living, took the floor during public comments.
Tesch directed her comments to Mayor Rocky Gillis and pointed out that he works for Pryor Plumbing and they are directly associated with Corcat Properties, the firm that owns the land for the proposed brownfield development.
“My concern – and perhaps I missed it but I didn’t see anywhere that you disclosed – that you worked for or were associated with Corcat,” Tesch said. “Maybe there’s isn’t a conflict of interest but in my opinion, it would have needed to be disclosed because it shows an appearance of impropriety and that you shouldn’t have voted… on this Brownfield Development.”
Councilman Michael Bembas then asked the mayor if he had taken any extra payments from his job regarding any of his votes on council over the last six years and Gillis said no.
The mayor then explained that yes, he is a manager at Pryor Plumbing and Heating and that Corcat Capitol is his bosses’ landlord.
“I work an hourly job running a store; there is no impropriety between the Brownfield and where I work,” Gillis said. “In fact, I find it quite disturbing that someone would actually come here and accuse me of impropriety.”
Councilwoman Dawn Davey said the property in questions was rezoned back in 2018 when Tesch was Algonac’s mayor so now she’s “at a loss, actually,” but added that as a resident Tesch has the right to question things.
The mayor then said he would address the concern and acknowledged that yes, he works for Pryor Plumbing and Heating as the manager and his boss’ landlord is Corcat Properties.
“There’s also seven of us up here and I’m only one of seven votes, if anybody has further questions, you can call me or email me but there is nothing improper that happened. And no, I do not have to recuse myself from voting because the only time you have to recuse yourself is when there’s a financial interest in it for yourself,” Gillis said.
Algonac Mayor Rocky Gillis defended his voting record as a member of the city council.
Later in the meeting during council comments the mayor made a few more statements about the accusation.
“I do want to address what Ms. Tesch said about where I work, I work for Pryor Plubming and Heating, Inc. and yes we have a landlord, but I bet you a lot of people in this room don’t know who the landlord of your employer is,” Gillis said. “And to go after the place where I have to make my living…?”
He continued stating that the job at the council table pays each person $40 per meeting and he gets an additional $10 for being the mayor. So, he gets $100 a month and council members get $80.
“So, I do have to have a job and I chose to work a job locally so I could be available for our residents as I believe some of you in this audience have actually come to Pryor and talked to me,” Gillis said. “To have the way I feed my son be put on the questioning block tonight by someone who was fired from this job by the people, I’m sorry I take offense to that.”
