A member of Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission will not be continuing to work for an advocacy group after all.
Commissioner Anthony Eid said Thursday that he and the group, Michigan Voices, had mutually decided to part ways.
His position had raised red flags due to a possible conflict of interest. Michigan Voices participated in the process of drawing Michigan’s new legislative district maps.
But an inquiry from two of the commissioners and the body’s executive director found there hadn’t been an issue.
“At this time, our attorneys have no concerns on this matter,” the report read.
The group had been scheduled to discuss the matter at its monthly meeting Thursday. But it took the item off the agenda.
“There really wasn’t a reason to discuss Anthony’s case in particular because there was no case,” Commissioner Steve Lett, who helped write the inquiry as the group’s legal liaison, told reporters.
Eid mentioned he felt the document spoke for itself.
Still, not everyone on the commission was satisfied with the findings.
“There is still a question about whether there was a violation of the code of conduct and whether there was a violation of the conflict-of-interest policy to the extent that he did not disclose the potential conflict. So, the issue is absolutely not resolved,” Commissioner Rebecca Szetela said during debate over whether to remove the topic from the meeting’s agenda.
Szetela said it was unfair to represent the letter as the commission’s findings when only some members had been involved in writing it.
Along with Lett, Commission Chair Doug Clark and Executive Director Edward Woods III helped write the inquiry. It said the issue could be revisited if the map-drawing process were to re-open.
Current maps have been in place for over a year but remain challenged in court.