KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Due to the recent hire of Former Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield as the incoming CEO of Southwest Michigan First, the Kalamazoo City Commission voted Monday night to initiate a “pause” on its membership with the Council of 100 within the organization.
The measure to do so was introduced by Commissioner Erin Knott, who also serves as the Executive Director of Equality Michigan. She said that she had received several communications on the matter prior to the meeting.
“He was a champion against equality, I’ve mentioned this, you’ve heard some of that from news reports and people that have called in this evening,” Knott said. “Mr. Chatfield simply did not hold anti-DEI positions, he positioned himself to be a leader against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”
Before that motion was brought forward, multiple residents had called in to voice their concerns with this development, with some callers asking Commissioners to respond to it in a public format.
“The city should do everything in its power to vocalize that the recent hire from Southwest Michigan First, their CEO, is not in line with city values and community values,” one caller said.
Knott questioned the process that was made in the decision to hire Chatfield, who is known for his anti-LGBTQ political stances.
“The recent decision made by Southwest Michigan First gives me a real moment of pause, and it appears that Southwest Michigan First’s Selection Committee did not weigh Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) when making the decision to hire Lee Chatfield as the new CEO,” Knott added.
Former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield. (Photo courtesy of Michigan House GOP).
Chatfield, a Republican, was in office for six years, two of which he served as the Speaker of the House.
“He championed the obstruction of every effort to pass non-discrimination protections and stood against anti-discriminatory laws,” Knott said. “My motion is that we immediately withdraw as a Council of 100 member of Southwest Michigan First.”
During discussions of the motion, several other commissioners expressed their displeasure at the decision to hire Chatfield.
“The decision to make this hire, in my opinion, really showed disregard for the values this community holds dear,” Commissioner Chris Praedel said. “It seems to me that as an anchor organization of such stature, they would do far more due diligence to consult community leaders, stakeholders and local businesses on what qualities we would like to see in this role. If it was sought, let’s be clear – we all know this sort of feedback would not have lead us to Lee Chatfield. It bears the question of what qualities made him desirable.”
Praedel added that none of his qualities seem to fit the role, again citing his inexperience in professional economic development.
“He is a highly divisive leader and speaker in the Michigan House and in state politics,” Praedel added. “It’s not just with the ‘D’s vs. the R’s,’ but he was divisive within his own party when he was elected to office in 2014.”
Commissioner Jack Urban said that he too was surprised at the decision, but offered a compromise solution.
“I’m appalled at all of this,” Urban said. “I just can’t understand what the board of directors at Southwest Michigan First were thinking. But before we jump on this, it seems it might be considering to tell Southwest Michigan First that we are going to delay our decision on this until next meeting, and meanwhile, we would like to have designated Director Chatfield, or the Chair of Southwest Michigan First, to come to the City Commission and present to us their rationale for hiring this gentleman.”
He said this would give them a chance to “set the record straight,” and commit to being an inclusive organization.
Commissioner Knott said that while she appreciated the idea, she said that she wasn’t interested in delay.
“I’m not saying that we never partner again with Southwest Michigan first, I’m asking for a pause,” Knott said. “That pause is we pull back our membership immediately tonight so that we are showing we stand with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, that that is one of our core values.”
She said it would also make Kalamazoo a leading example for other organizations debating the same topic.
Commissioner Jeanne Hess requested clarification of what the implications of withdrawing would mean for the city. City Manager Jim Ritsema explained how the Council of 100 works.
“We pay $10,000 in the form of a membership to be a part of the Council of 100 to Southwest Michigan First, that’s paid annually. I think the last payment was made this past December,” Manager Ritsema said. “It’s a good networking tool available to community partners and linking community organizations, like the City of Kalamazoo, with the business community and other major entities in the area. I don’t necessarily see those connections changing, we certainly value Southwest Michigan First as an organization and partner.”
He cited several past collaborations such as those in economic development and Brownfield plans as examples, but he reassessed that the relationship probably wouldn’t change much if the city were to withdraw.
After further discussion of the topic, Commissioner Urban changed his mind and said he would vote to support a withdraw immediately.
“It’s clear to me now, as I’ve listened to you and reflected a little bit more on what this decision means, I’m really prepared to go ahead and do that,” Urban said. “It gives immediate clarity, which is kind of what you need to have these days to get people’s attention. What people said about delays, I get.”
Further discussion indicated that the Commissioners altogether felt Chatfield was a bad fit for the role.
“We need to act and show leadership to show what our true community values are, and to me, this is a step we can take that’s not punitive in nature that’s gonna harm a project, or harm a person,” Commissioner Praedel said. “It’s going to make loud and clear how we as a city, and as leaders of the city, feel about something that just doesn’t align well with what we need in this community. We’ll patch things over and figure this out, but in the meantime, I don’t see a reason to sit on this and wait.”
Ultimately, the Commission voted in favor of issuing a pause on their membership with Southwest Michigan First, which is effective immediately. The city is now expected to release an official statement on its website and social media channels for the public.
Chatfield spoke with MLive earlier on Monday before the meeting, saying that he intended to undertake his new position in a bipartisan way.
A recording of the meeting can be viewed on YouTube at this link.
— John McNeil contributed to this report. —
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