May 08, 2008 09:59 am Every uprising begins with one man or woman standing up and saying "enough." In Acme Township, that was Bill Boltres. The 72-year-old township treasurer lit a fuse back in 2006 when, after suffering two heart attacks and numerous sleepless nights over lawsuits filed against him by Meijer, Inc. and the Village at Grand Traverse, he fought back. During depositions related to his counter-suit it was revealed that a law firm hired by Meijer had paid a public relations agency more than $30,000 to secretly orchestrate a failed recall election against the Acme board in 2007. A report done for Meijer also indicated the company made illegal contributions to a 2005 referendum on halting big-box development. The findings from the Boltres depositions prompted a blistering attack on Meijer's goonish tactics from across the state; Grand Traverse Prosecutor Alan Schneider undertook a criminal probe and Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land promised action. The revelations were enough for Meijer. Not long after a mediator suggested Meijer pay Boltres a $3 million settlement, the retail giant settled its suit (one of two it had filed) against Boltres and dropped suits against seven other Acme officials. Boltres ran for office as part of a slate that swept out the previous township board, which was seen as getting too cozy with developers. In response, Meijer later filed so-called "SLAPP" suits (an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) against Boltres and other township board and planning commission members. In SLAPP suits, defendants are sued personally, which means they can't rely on township insurance for coverage. It's one person against a billion-dollar company. If they lose or don't cave in (which of course is the point) they can lose everything. Boltres not only didn't back down, he filed his own suit and Meijer was sent reeling. Boltres has since sued the Village at Grand Traverse LLC, the corporation behind the Village at Grand Traverse, claiming Meijer-like illegal harassment. Now other Acme officials are contemplating their own lawsuits. Bill Boltres didn't go looking for a fight. All he wanted was to serve his township, help guide development and keep the books balanced. Meijer, though, decided to declare war, and he and other township officials were put on the spit for doing the jobs they were elected -- and had every right -- to do. But Meijer hadn't counted on someone like Bill Boltres; now they're the ones on the defensive.
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Bill Boltres Record-Eagle