Let’s talk about the part Troy residents should be asking about now: Why does this policy still exist?
The City used a newly re-written political activity policy to remove me from the Troy Fire Department after I ran for Troy City Council. An administrative law judge has now ruled that the City violated state law. Oakland County Circuit Court affirmed that decision.
But the policy has still not been rescinded.
That is not a paperwork issue. That is a leadership issue. And residents need to understand how this happened.
This was not some informal misunderstanding. This was a written Administrative Memorandum regulating political activity by the City Clerk. It applied to “All Employees, Contractors and Volunteers.” It was signed by the City Clerk. It was signed by the Human Resources Director. And it was approved by the City Manager.
Then the Fire Department incorporated that memo into its own policy manual.
That policy did not just say employees should avoid campaigning on City time or using City resources. That would be normal.
It went much further.
It said no member of the Troy Fire Department could seek, be elected to, or hold any elective position within the government of the City of Troy. In plain English: if you served in the Troy Fire Department, you were barred from running for Troy City office. State office? Totally OK. Federal office? Also OK.
That is the policy the City used against me. And that is why the Clerk’s involvement is outrageous.
The City Clerk is not just another City employee. The Clerk’s office administers elections. The Clerk is supposed to be neutral. The Clerk is supposed to protect the fairness of the election process.
But under oath, the Clerk admitted she wrote this policy on her own.
Think about that.
The City’s election official wrote a policy that blocked a City Council candidate from continuing to serve in the Fire Department.
That should trouble everyone.
A Clerk’s job is not to create rules that make it harder for a candidate to run for local office. A Clerk’s job is not to help City Hall remove a candidate from a City position. A Clerk’s job is to administer elections fairly and neutrally.
So where is the current City Manager? And where is City Council?
A responsible City Manager would have immediately suspended enforcement of the policy, reviewed the language, brought forward a corrected version, and made sure no other employee, contractor, or volunteer could be punished under the same unlawful rule. A responsible City Council would be asking the same question publicly:
Why is this policy still in place?
Council does not get to pretend this is just a legal technicality. Council oversees the City Manager. Council represents the residents. Council is supposed to protect the public from bad government, not look the other way when City Hall gets caught violating state law.
This is no longer just about what happened under the previous City Manager. It is about what the current City Manager is refusing to fix. And it is about whether City Council has the courage to demand that it be fixed.
If the City knows the policy was used unlawfully and still leaves it in place, then the problem is not just the original violation.
The problem is the silence.
The problem is the refusal to correct it.
And the problem is a City Hall that still has not rescinded the policy after a judge ruled the City violated state law.
The City should rescind the policy immediately.
And Council should require it.