Saugatuck City Council voted to officially censure Planning Commissioner Christopher (CJ) Bagierek on April 27.
The vote came just over a week after Bagierek announced he was stepping down as vice chair, though he continues to serve, despite a request from councilmembers seeking his resignation in March.
Bagierek allegedly operated an accessory dwelling unit improperly and failed to disclose it when voting on related legislation. He was given 30 days to resign or face a possible censure and/or be removed as vice chair.
In their resolution, councilmembers said Bagierek’s actions represented a lack of diligence, effort and good judgment that reflects poorly on Saugatuck and the Planning Commission. The censure, specifically, is for failure to disclose a potential conflict of interest and conduct inconsistent with the city’s ethics policy.
What rules were broken by CJ Bagierek?
Bagierek has an accessory dwelling unit on property at 610 Lake St. — which City Manager Ryan Cummins says he rented without required approvals and failed to disclose while voting on related policy changes.
The rules broken, according to Cummins, include renting the ADU without a special land use permit and/or renting an individual room instead of the entire dwelling under a single contract, as required.
Last month, Bagierek wrote the situation “comes down to timing” and said a short-term rental certificate issued in 2022 was done so improperly. He said multiple previous owner-operators rented out the property in the same way he and his wife have, under what he called a standard license.
Bagierek said staffers gave him incorrect directions on how to apply, then approved a standard license without raising special land use requirements.
The censure passed 4-2, with councilmembers Russ Gardner and Gregory Muncey voting no.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck City Council approves censure of CJ Bagierek
Reporting by Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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