ACME — Township officials want Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land to refrain from investigating Meijer, Inc.'s alleged campaign finance violations until after state police complete a criminal probe of the Grand Rapids-based retailer.
Acme officials voiced concerns that Land "pre-judged" Meijer's role in township elections in 2005 and 2007, according to a letter sent to her department on Monday on behalf of four Acme Township board members.
Acme officials fear Land will undercut a Grand Traverse County-based criminal probe by issuing civil penalties for the company's alleged violations.
They also allege Land made "off-the-record" statements defending Meijer, and cited campaign contributions totaling almost $9,000 she received from top Meijer officials, including Frederick and Hank Meijer, and Meijer's Political Action Committee, along with consultants and attorneys who worked for Meijer.
Meijer last week acknowledged likely violations of state campaign finance laws in a letter to Land last week.
"My clients ... request that you take no further action until the Prosecuting Attorney's investigation is complete and any charges resulting from it have been brought and adjudicated," states the letter to Land from Acme attorney Christopher Bzdok.
Land did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Acme officials contend it would be a "waste of public resources" for Land to investigate alleged violations while a local criminal probe is underway. Authorities are investigating whether Meijer officials committed felonies when they attempted to influence the 2005 and 2007 elections.
The letter from Acme officials also contends that the state hasn't received a formal complaint on the matter other than admissions from Meijer, "whose sincerity and credibility must be considered suspect at this point, to say the least," it states.
"It sounds like it's not a big deal to the upper echelon of the Secretary of State's office," said trustee Frank Zarafonitis.
Bzdok's letter also cited a "credible witness" who stated Land has "vociferously" defended Meijer.
Bzdok refused to identify the person cited in his letter.
"I spoke to somebody that had a conversation with her," Bzdok said.
Zarafonitis said he wants Meijer tagged with a felony conviction rather than pay a fine to the Secretary of State. He said it would serve as a warning to other communities the extent Meijer will go to intimidate local officials.
"I don't feel they're the good neighbor they represent themselves to be and I'd like to see Meijer prosecuted to the fullest extent possible," he said.
Staff writer BRIAN McGILLIVARY contributed to this report.
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