Mount Clemens commissioners delay appointments after debate over transparency

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to delay appointments to several boards and committees for two weeks after commissioners debated procedures for reviewing late applications and the transparency of the reappointment process.

A commissioner moved to table the appointments until the newly filed application could be reviewed; the mayor seconded the motion. The commission discussed whether all applications should be published as part of the board packet and whether the mayor’s selection process gave other commissioners sufficient opportunity to review applicants. One commissioner said, “I think all the information should be put out there for the public's consumption” and urged that applications be included in the online packet.

Opponents said the mayor had followed established practice and defended the current timeline for appointments. The mayor stated she had been following the same rules as previous mayors and that some committees had been open for months. After discussion and a roll-call procedure, the motion to delay the appointments passed.

Commissioners also discussed the broader reappointment process, with one saying there needs to be a more formal review rather than automatic reappointments. The commission agreed to revisit the appointments at the next meeting after staff reviews the late application.

The vote to delay was followed later by a recalling of the question and a subsequent vote, after which the motion was recorded as passed. No new appointments were finalized at the meeting; the matter will return to the agenda after the two-week delay.