MUSKEGON COUNTY - A Muskegon school board member who also is a county commissioner says he will appeal a judge's ruling that he must step down from one of the elected offices, The Muskegon Chronicle reported.
Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks said Charles Nash was breaching the duty of public office by serving on boards that have contractual agreements with each other, The Chronicle reported. The Muskegon school district contracts for services from two county departments.
Nash argued that as a school board member he has little to do with the contracts, but Hicks said that board members have ultimate oversight over such arrangements, according to The Chronicle. Hicks said Nash couldn't avoid conflict by abstaining from voting because that itself would be a breach of duty, the report said.
Nash said he would appeal Hicks' decision, but declined to comment further, according to The Chronicle. Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague brought the lawsuit after school board President Charles Poole asked him to resolve the issue, the report said.
Nash had proposed a deal in which he would resign from the school board if he were allowed to name his successor, but the board declined the offer, according to The Chronicle.
SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "Judge: Nash must resign one of his posts," May 27, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Willow Run superintendent on Illinois school board," Sept. 2, 2008
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