EAST LANSING — City Manager Robert Belleman was placed on paid administrative leave effective May 27, just days after a majority of city council members voted to release an investigation that cleared the top city official of sexually harassing and verbally abusing an employee.
Returning from a lengthy closed session, the third in a week, council members voted unanimously on May 26 to place Belleman on leave, effective at noon May 27, by which time he must also appoint “an acting city manager” to do his job.
Council’s vote, which happened without comment, also authorized the city to retain the services of the Thrun Law Firm in East Lansing as independent legal counsel.
Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Grigsby mentioned a May 26 legal memo that was discussed in closed session, but he did not elaborate.
Grigsby’s motion indicated Belleman would remain on leave “until initial questions identified in close session are answered.”
Belleman has not commented publicly about the allegations or council’s decision to place him on paid leave. Belleman responded Tuesday to a request for comment from the State Journal, saying he had received the investigative report on the employee’s harassment claims from the city attorney on Friday, May 22, but declined to comment further.
He also apologized to “the city’s workforce” during the Tuesday meeting.
“I’m sorry if any of you have felt that I have not been the leader you needed me to be,” Belleman said. “Each day I strive for the city to deliver services at the highest level possible. But I can do better and I will do better.
“I’ve taken your feedback to heart. Your comments and concerns have not fallen on deaf ears, and I will make positive changes going forward. I care about you, the residents we serve and our community. Thank you.”
It was not immediately clear why the council reversed course.
A week ago, during public comment of the Tuesday, May 19 council meeting, grant coordinator Erica Dziedzic-Hernandez told council members she had filed a complaint against Belleman last year for sexual harassment, verbal abuse and threatening her job, following city procedures, but to no avail. ‘
The council called a special meeting for Thursday, May 21, at which point after a lengthy closed session, council members voted 4-0, with council member Mark Meadows absent, to waive attorney-client privilege and authorize the release of the report resulting from an independent investigation of Dziedzic-Hernandez’s allegations. The inquiry was conducted by the Miller Canfield law firm in Lansing.
That same day, longtime former City Clerk Marie Wicks told the State Journal that Belleman could mistreat people and be accusatory and paranoid. She was employed by the city for about 15 years including several as clerk, retiring prior in 2018 but returned on an interim basis in 2023 after Belleman had been hired.
She described Belleman as “very fickle. You do not know what kind of mood he’s going to be in from one day to the next. One day he can be very friendly and the next he can be very harsh. I’d like to see Robert move on. It was a terrible hire. We know that.”
Mayor Erik Altmann said comments from the public following Dziedzic-Hernandez’s allegations prompted the council to release the report, but expressed support for Belleman.
“Independent investigators found no violation of city policy or law by City Manager Robert Belleman but recommended that he receive leadership training,” Altmann said last week, noting that Belleman had since been meeting with an executive leadership expert to fulfill that requirement. “The report that we received indicated that the allegations were unfounded.”He said it was a relief to be able to share the report’s conclusion with the public.”Everybody deserves process. Everybody has rights,” Altmann said. “My job in this position as a council member is to take the process seriously and look at evidence and go where it leads. I look forward to continuing to work with City Manager Belleman in his position and I offer my support to him.”
On May 27, Altmann declined to comment on the council’s decision to place Belleman on leave.
The City Council in August 2023 hired Belleman as the new city manager. Months before, the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners voted 8-3 to remove Belleman as controller. The vote followed a public meeting where county employees and elected officials described him as a retaliatory boss and the source of a “toxic work environment,” according to MLive.
A council with present members Altmann, Kerry Ebersole Singh and Mark Meadows unanimously approved in September Belleman’s new three-year contract with a $190,000 salary. Former Mayor George Brookover and Councilmember Dana Watson cast the other yes votes.
Kath Edsall, a member of the East Lansing Independent Oversight Commission, was outraged Tuesday when she addressed Altmann’s comments last week in support of Belleman.
“It revictimized a woman and an employee of the city,” Edsall said. “(It) brought back memories of Anita Hill testifying against Clarence Thomas, only to have 11 Democrats support his nomination. Your comments were not only disgusting but sent a chill down the spine of every female employee who has had to deal with city manager’s petulant, obnoxious and condescending behavior.”
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: East Lansing City Council places city manager on leave
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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