New petition language is submitted to recall Albion's mayor pro-tem. More allegations of sexual harassment are made against Michigan Congressman John Conyers. The Detroit News is offering buyouts to all of its news room staff.
A new petition has been submitted to recall Albion’s mayor pro-tem. An earlier petition to recall Sonya Brown was withdrawn about a month ago. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that Albion resident Tom Lowe has submitted the new petition language to Calhoun County election officials to recall Brown. Lowe says he believes that Sonya Brown and Mayor Garrett Brown, who are not related, conspired to give low marks to Albion City Manager Sheryl Mitchell during her performance review. Mitchell announced her resignation October 11th, then rescinded it October 30th. Brown denies any conspiracy and says she evaluated Mitchell honestly. Petition language to recall Albion Mayor Garrett Brown was approved November 20th.
The Detroit News is offering buyouts to its staff to prepare for what is called “a tight budget year.” Crain’s Detroit Business says it acquired an e-mail sent to employees. The offer was made to all newsroom staff. They have until Monday afternoon to decide whether or not to take the buyout. It’s not clear how many jobs the News plans to eliminate.
More allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against Michigan Congressman John Conyers. The Detroit News says Deanna Maher, who served as Conyers’ Deputy Chief of Staff from 1997 to 2005, claims that the Detroit Democrat made unwanted advances, including inappropriate touching. Maher is the second former member of Conyers’ staff to publicly make accusations against the Congressman. Conyers announced on Sunday that he is stepping down from his post as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee while the House Ethics Committee conducts an investigation. Conyers has denied allegations of sexual harassment, but has acknowledged paying a settlement to a former staffer. He called the amount paid a “reasonable severance.”