In addition to billing itself as "Michigan's premier bipartisan lobbying firm," GCSI's CEO is married to Orlene Hawks, who Democratic Gov. Electoral College. But it's a bit more understandable since they appear to be in the crosshairs of an epic investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing. "By no stretch of the imagination is that social welfare," said longtime elections lawyer Mark Brewer, whose main areas of practice include campaign finance and nonprofit law. In his final year in office, Chatfield attempted to help GCSI secure support for a new off-reservation tribal casino in Muskegon after the firm quietly got involved on behalf of another lobbying firm through a loophole in the state's lobby law. His current term ends on December 31, 2024. After he finished he said, Dont worry. She also served as treasurer when Wentworth started his second PAC. He's also facing allegations of financial misconduct. Rebekah, now 26, filed the criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department against Lee, 33, she said in several interviews with Bridge Michigan. Right now, we have more questions than answers. In 2019 before GCSI began lobbying for the casino Chatfield told Ananich he opposed the project, Ananich told The News. $805,700. Catch up fast: The state investigation began in January after Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield . Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers whomet with then-President Donald Trump at the White Houseas Trump tried to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens win in the state. My dad was a recovering alcoholic, and so I believe that Lee used those (circumstances) against me and helped take advantage of me. 1,056 Sq. Chatfield's financial activities, while he was a top lawmaker, are now under criminal investigation by Attorney General Dana Nessel's office. In mid-February 2021, after leaving office, Chatfield was appointed as the new CEO of Southwest Michigan First, a privately funded economic development organization covering the seven counties of southwest Michigan (Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren). But on Feb. 25, 2021, about two months after Chatfield left office, the House approved a symbolic resolution in opposition to off-reservation gaming. Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said at some point Chatfield changed his position. [6] Chatfield had previously introduced a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives to make handgun registration voluntary. Mr. They wanted us to manage them," Scofes said of the Little River Band. Interviews with more than 30 sources and a review of previously unreported documents underscore how Michigan's lax ethics laws shielded ties between Chatfield and GCSI from the public spotlight and provided ways for the once powerful lawmaker and the multi-client lobbying firm to avoid disclosure of their collaboration. Among the other proposals Chatfield quietly championed in Lansing was one that would have directly benefited the Detroit Salt Company, which owns the Detroit Salt Mine and has been represented by GCSI since 2009. Ill talk to Aaron, you guys are getting married. Rebekah Chatfield told Bridge. Chatfield's lawyer claimed that the search was an attempt to falsely connect Chatfield to financial improprieties. At some point in 2020, GCSI, which had been working for the Gun Lake tribal casino located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and Noel LaPorte, another Lansing lobbyist who has worked with GCSI on other matters, began talking to lawmakers on behalf of the Little River Band. Shirkey and Representative Lee Chatfield, the top two Republican leaders of Michigan's legislative chambers, are set to meet with Trump on Friday. The lobbying firm that now represents the center is Public Strategies Group, which Chatfield's former chief of staff, Minard, launched after leaving the Legislature at the end of 2020. On Wednesday, Michigan state Speaker of the House Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) announced Rep. Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit) had been stripped of her committee assignments after she shared a video in which she addressed 'Trumpers' to "be careful" and called on "soldiers" to "make them pay." Chatfield tweeted, 'Threats to Democrats or Republicans are unacceptable and un-American. Burns also said that Chatfield sometimes used a not-for-profit social welfare organization to pay his monthly rent, which an expert said may run afoul of federal tax laws. She recalled one time where Lee allegedly visited with his wife and two children, And during my husbands soccer game, she said, he took me back to my house and assaulted me.. A Republican state representative in Michigan was rebuked by members of his own party on Monday hours after he made comments suggesting that he and others planned to . "He did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship," the attorney, Mary Chartier, said. Lee Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014. , , . On required lobbyist disclosures, GCSI and its clients reported spending about $18,000 on food, drink and trips for Chatfield over his six years in Lansing, an average of $3,000 in expenditures per year. [1] Before his election to the state House in 2014, he worked at a Christian school in northern Michigan operated by his father, a minister. Rebekah would allegedly stay at Lees home often, and she said the touching began as unwanted gropes in the basement stairwell, eventually progressing to sexual intercourse, she told Bridge. Join to apply for the Sales Representative - Earn Over $100k role at SitePro Rentals. In 2017, the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency said the Detroit Salt Company was the only business of four road salt suppliers with state contracts that would have benefited from the change. [17], Due to term limits, Chatfield was ineligible to run for another term in the Michigan House of Representatives. "I didn't know there were options for therapy.". With trouble at home, she became more dependent on the Chatfield family, who ran that whole church and school that had become essential to her social life, she said. But he said they could get more information. Opinion: I'm a Michigan lawmaker. Rankey's LinkedIn profile says she is a former self-employed fundraising consultant who got a state job as Wentworth's director of legislative affairs before becoming his director of external affairs. Gretchen Whitmer named to lead Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), which is one of the state's largest and most far-reaching government agencies. 94,281 [2] Michigan's 107th House of Representatives district (also referred to as Michigan's 107th House district) is a legislative district within the Michigan House of Representatives located in parts of Cheboygan, Chippewa, and Mackinac counties, as well as all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties. Terry Burns, executive vice president of the auto dealers association, acknowledged to The News that the group never reported the arrangement because of a broad exemption in state regulations for transactions made in "the ordinary course of the lobbyist's business." "If I told [the Chatfields], that would, that would ruin everything. 0:05 / 0:31. And based on what we've seen so far, Lansing looks mighty murky. Chatfield's letter of support to the federal government was sent on the same day in July 2020 as one from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake. LANSING, Mich. State police in northern Michigan were investigating Thursday after a woman accused former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield of sexually assaulting her multiple times, beginning when she was 14 or 15 years old. More:5 revelations in the Chatfield investigation search warrant affidavits. His attorney acknowledged he had a relationship with Rebekah while he was married but said she was mischaracterizing a consensual affair between adults. Chatfield has denied allegations he sexually . "During their affair, this woman regularly contacted Mr. Chatfield to initiate sexual encounters, and she took steps to hide the affair from others, including her husband. Elected in 2019, Chatfield represents the 67th district, which includes Tucumcari, New Mexico, Ute Lake State Park, and Clayton Lake State Park. At one point, her family discussed sending her to a public school. LaPorte did not return my message. [15][16], Chatfield's successor, House Speaker Jason Wentworth, has ordered all members to preserve records dealing with the conduct of Chatfield. "No, it couldn't be further from who my man was as a person.". Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle noticed Chatfield's close connections to GCSI while he had the power to set the agenda in the state House. Most relevant. In October, The News first reported that Nessel's investigators have inquired about how three Chatfield siblings landed jobs at the same cannabis retailer that is represented by GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. State police spokesperson Shanon Banner declined to provide additional information. After the first alleged instance of unwanted sexual contact, Rebekah said, she didn't tell anyone about it because she was afraid of how the Chatfields would react. But there's no guarantee every suspicion and suspect mentioned in an affidavit will be confirmed or charged with a crime. Chatfield was speaker of the state House from 2019 to 2020. I always had questions, he told Bridge. Because sunlight may be the only disinfectant that will help us clean up Michigan politics. Lee portrays himself as a family tradition, conservative guy who believes in the Bible and the Bible is so important, said Aaron, 26. Hauck did not provide additional details about his discussion with Chatfield. LANSING State Rep. Jason Wentworth of Clare will be the new speaker of the House, Republican lawmakers announced Thursday. TruGreen Neighborhood Lawn Sales Representative. Amber McCann, Nessel's spokeswoman, declined to comment on whether the former speaker's ties to GCSI are part of the ongoing investigation. That's more than 10 times what they spent on Tom Leonard, who preceded Chatfield as speaker. Trials yield truths like contractor Tony Soave's confession: "It's good to be friends with the mayorof the city where you are working.". "I didn't want to get on the wrong side of him. The affidavits also said Anne Minard believed Chatfield abused Adderall, a drug used to treat attention deficit disorder that also acts as a stimulant. The now 26-year-old woman first filed the complaint with the Lansing [] When the time came to raise big bucks in 2017, Anne Minard signed on as treasurer of the Wentworth Majority Fund Political Action Committee. Chatfield received a bachelor's degree from Northland International University, a Baptist college in Wisconsin, and a master's degree from Liberty University in Virginia. Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc and Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed. The Queensland squad also includes exciting Gold Coast talent Jojo Fifita, who has been named 18th man for the Titans in their NRL clash against the Cronulla Sharks in Coffs Harbour. View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. Get email updates for new Salesperson jobs in Chatfield, TX. Each time she would break up with Aaron, she said Lee would coax them back together. The previous three House speakers received a combined total of $4,180 in food and drink from all Michigan lobbyists over eight years. Whitmer formally blocked the Muskegon County casino project in June after the City of Detroit lobbied hard against the proposal. In 2019, like politicians before him who aspired to be speaker, Wentworth set up a second PAC. That money was used to support Republican candidates with donations of up to $10,000 and, no doubt, generate the kind of goodwill and support that helped Wentworth become speaker in 2021. The alleged assaults began when the then-14- or 15-year-old girl attended Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church and Northern Michigan Christian Academy near Burt Lake, about 60 miles northeast of Traverse City, White said.The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly. According to Crain's Detroit Business, Chatfield confirmed he would be moving to Kalamazoo.The former representative from Levering, who was term-limited after six years in the state House, is no friend to the LGBTQ community. In the 2019-20 session, as speaker, Chatfield again pushed to advance the legislation without success because of opposition from members of his own caucus and his staff. My whole world was the Chatfield family, she said. In 2018, Chatfield attempted to bring a loaded, unregistered handgun onto a commercial flight at Pellston Regional Airport. The Minards' lawyer, Gerry Gleeson, also declined to provide those answers. Complaints about lobbying are investigated by the Attorney General's office. A former Australian Schoolboys and Queensland Under 18 representative player, Howarth is in his second season in the Melbourne Storm's top 30 squad. "There was an ongoing . [4] He was fined $250 for failure to register his handgun, which he had purchased in December 2015. Chatfield's close ties to Lansing-based Governmental Consultant Services Inc. (GCSI) included renting an apartment from one of the firm's high-profile clients with regulatory issues before the Legislature and championing a bill that would have given another client a near-monopoly on contracts for road salt. Search warrant affidavits each time she would break up with Aaron, you are. 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