Riley Twp. clerk resigns after state fine

Riley Township Clerk Sue Chmielewski resigned from office on Tuesday in the wake of a clerical error the township was fined for late last year.

Deputy Clerk Debbie Rhein was appointed by the township board during Tuesday night’s regular meeting to finish the remaining 10 months of Chmielewski’s term.

The decision was unanimous among the board’s remaining members.

Chmielewski said in a letter to the board she didn’t want to leave her position, but felt “it is in the best interest for Riley Township.”

She was at the township office Tuesday, though not present at that night’s meeting.

In November, Chmielewski admitted responsibility for $1,704.61 in fines accrued by the township after she incorrectly reported the number of local people collecting unemployment to the state this fall.

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs requires online reporting, but the former clerk said she’d mailed in the data. The township board agreed to cut a check for the late fees at the time, but officials are still waiting to hear if the fine will be waived.

Supervisor Al Titus said after the meeting in November he recommended Chmielewski resign, and she took the time since to decide. He said it was clear she’d tried her best at the job, but there were more issues than just the fine.

Treasurer Dawn Sawicki-Franz said it may have been as simple as late fees on bills not paid on time – issues of that level that could be worked out internally.

She brought up the unemployment numbers fee in November, adding Tuesday it was too big a number to ignore.

Titus said other elected officials had no legal authority to step in and “change the way she was doing things,” though they knew Chmielewski was struggling.

“Sometimes people are elected because they’re well known in the community as she is and … in my opinion, the clerk’s job is the most complex job in office. A lot of tremendous responsibility,” Titus said. “She had no prior experience or like experience in what she was expected or required to do in her job description.”

When there were clerical glitches in the township office, Titus said “it trickled down” to other departments. Of Chmielewski, he added, “We have tried to help her to make this transition and it hasn’t worked.”

He added Sawicki-Franz may have been most affected.

“I actually didn’t know she wasn’t going to be here (at the meeting),” Sawicki-Franz said of Chmielewski. “It’s been difficult. I know what the job is. It’s a very difficult job.”

Chmielewski had been in office for three years and was amid her first four-year term. At the start of the fiscal year, when other township officials also saw wage increases, she said her annual salary rose from $16,585 to $17,580.

Rhein said the monthly stipend for deputy treasurer is just $38. She hopes to name her own deputy now as clerk within the month.

She said she’s gained experience while on the job and during a Michigan Township Association’s clerks retreat last September.

Board members on Tuesday expressed confidence in her ability to do the job. But Titus recommended talking with other clerks, as well, citing his own experience as a first-time supervisor even after 12 years in township government.

“I’ll tell you the first six months were tough for me and I consulted with five other supervisors,” he said.

A Riley Township resident, Rhein said she’s thought about running for elected clerk before and is still considering in the general election next November.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.