In November, the voters of the City of Grand Haven decided that the city could not afford Andrea Hendrick as mayor. Now they must decide if they will allow Hendrick to continue to represent them on the Board of Light and Power (BLP).
It has been two months since the BLP decided to cover the city attorney’s fee of $5,000 to review Hendrick’s personal emails to determine if they are subject to a FOIA request that was received this August. If you recall, Hendrick violated the BLP technology policy by using her personal devices and email accounts to conduct BLP business. At first, she refused to comply with the FOIA request, claiming it would be too difficult to sort the emails containing BLP business from her personal emails. This led to her emails being reviewed by her personal attorney Sarah Howard and then City Attorney Ron Bultje. No emails have been released since an initial batch that numbered approximately 200.
The issues now seem to be who is going to cover Attorney Howard’s fees to represent Hendrick’s personal interest in this matter and when will the additional emails be handed over. Hendrick’s request to the BLP’s insurance carrier to cover attorney fees and expenses was denied by the insurance carrier. Now, there is a request before the BLP board to cover Howard’s fees and expenses through the BLP’s indemnity clause. The BLP will have to determine if this request qualifies based on Hendrick’s position as a Director on the BLP, or whether it is ineligible due to her failure to follow policy.
Only time will tell how much this recent development may cost the Board of Light and Power and its customers. How much longer will voters tolerate paying for Hendrick’s way of doing business?