INOKIYAR – It’s NOT okay if you’re a Republican
Yesterday I posted a piece talking about Michigan Republicans circling their wagons to protect election fraudster House Speaker Jase Bolger. I also revealed that Rep. Mark Ouimet used his House email account to campaign , slamming his “opponent” for being a big spender who wants to raise your taxes.
Today, Progress Michigan announced that they are filing a complaint against Ouimet based on the email he sent to me.
A partisan political email recently sent from Rep. Mark Ouimet’s official House email account to a constituent is just the latest example of Ouimet’s disregard for ethical standards and the rule of law. In response to a question of whether he would be demanding the resignation of Rep. Jase Bolger as Speaker of the House because of his role in an election fraud scheme, Rep. Ouimet sent an email including the following phrase: “We don’t want to go back to the days of out of control spending and tax increases and that is where my opponent wants to take Michigan.”“It’s clear that Lansing politicians like Mark Ouimet have the wrong priorities to rebuild Michigan’s economy,” said Zack Pohl, executive director of Progress Michigan. “This is just the latest example of Republicans in Lansing abusing taxpayer resources for personal political gain. Instead of working to strengthen the middle class, Ouimet was campaigning on the taxpayer’s dime. The people of Washtenaw County deserve better.”
When Rep. Ouimet was a Washtenaw County commissioner, he charged county taxpayers $35,000 in mileage and per diem charges, including $225 in one day to attend meetings and a mileage reimbursement to meet with a Lansing lobbyist. According to AnnArbor.com, Washtenaw County changed the per diem policy for commissioners “to put a stop to Ouimet’s excessive spending.”
The email sent on state time to a constituent was published by Eclectablog alongside other responses to the same question sent by House Republican lawmakers to constituents. Rep. Ouimet was the only lawmaker to reference his opponent in the November election.
Following a similar incident last year, Rep. Mark Meadows was reprimanded by the House Business Office and prohibited from sending another newsletter for 60 days. Progress Michigan will be filing an official complaint in the coming days.
### BACKGROUND:
AnnArbor.com: “Republican Mark Ouimet accused of misconduct as 52nd District state House race turns ugly”
YouTube: “Ouimet Should Return $35,000 of Wasted Taxpayer Money”
Eclectablog: “Ouimet uses House email to campaign”
MIRS: “MRP Files Complaint Against Meadows”
If Meadows was penalized for this the Ouimet should be, too. Period. I’ll have lots more to say about Ouimet in the days ahead, including a trip down memory lane regarding his faking his educational credentials, his improper use of Washtenaw County Commission per diems, and the disgusting smear campaign run on his behalf against his 2010 Democratic opponent, Christine Green.
In other Ouimet news, his Democratic opponent for the 52nd state House district, Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell, is calling on Ouimet to join her in asking Bolger to resign his position as Speaker of the House.
Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell today called for the resignation of State Rep. Jase Bolger from his post as speaker of the House due to his leading role in election manipulation and asked state Rep. Mark Ouimet (R-Scio Township) to join her.“We can’t get to work in attracting new jobs and economic investments in Michigan if politicians like House Leader Jase Bolger are allowed to defraud voters and lie to citizens”, said Driskell, who is running against Ouimet for the state House. “This is about leadership and the deceptive decision to restrict voter’s options. The voice of democracy is being silenced by the majority leader. As a mayor, I am appalled at the utter disregard by the House leader for our representative government.”
House Leader Bolger conspired with Rep. Roy Schmidt (R-Grand Rapids), a former Democrat, to change Schmidt’s party registration just minutes before the deadline to file for re-election. Representative’s Bolger and Schmidt had Schmidt’s nephew’s friend run as his fake Democratic opponent, according to a report released Tuesday by Republican Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth. Their goal was to prevent voters from having a legitimate election choice.
“Our public trust was violated, and elected officials should be held to the highest standard because the public has entrusted us as their representative at the state and local levels. Simply because there were no laws violated does not mean their actions were acceptable. I have been an elected official for almost 20 years in Michigan and what has occurred in Lansing is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” said Driskell. “I believe that government at all levels should be open and transparent and be able to uphold the trust that has been given to us.”
Driskell said she is also urging passage of tough new reforms aimed at cleaning up elections and campaign laws to secure the integrity of Michigan elections and prevent future situations like the one contrived by House Leader Bolger and Rep. Schmidt.
“Creating an environment of trust is crucial to Michigan’s future. It is imperative that we act quickly and rebuild the trust in our legislators that our citizens deserve. I pledge that I will work to make elections fair and support legislation that will hold elected officials accountable for their actions. I am asking Mark Ouimet to join me in speaking out against corruption and pledge to reform our state government. It’s about doing the right thing and this is about legitimate leadership!”
