GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids city comptroller set in motion two Michigan State Police investigations into activities of top city officials in the months leading up to the dismantling of his department.
Just before Christmas 2024, the Grand Rapids City Commission took away most of the comptroller’s staff, shrinking his department from 16 people to three and moving the people who pay the bills and account for the taxpayers’ money into a different department.
Grand Rapids city comptroller staff shrinking from 16 to 3
The public didn’t know it at the time, but in August, Comptroller Max Frantz made his first police complaint that City Manager Mark Washington spent $500 of the taxpayers’ money on two VIP tickets to a downtown fashion show. Frantz said another city official, who was concerned that the expense might violate law or city policy, brought the complaint to his attention and he forwarded it to MSP.
“While our office performs the function of looking at city accounting and finances, we do not perform investigations,” Frantz said. “When something like that comes across my plate, I would refer that to the appropriate law enforcement agency to look at.”…