A Grand Rapids elected official is suing the city over what he says was the “unlawful” reassignment of the majority of staff from his office last year.
The comptroller’s lawsuit against the city is one of five must-read MLive stories to kick off the New Year on Thursday, Jan. 1.
Comptroller claims city has eliminated separation of powers
Frantz’s lawsuit, filed Dec. 23 in Kent County Circuit Court, claims the city violated its charter by removing accounting and auditing staff from his office in January and placing them under control of the city manager’s office through the fiscal services department.
The city reassigned 13 of the 16 comptroller’s office employees to report to CFO Molly Clarin, leaving only three full-time staff in Frantz’s office. The comptroller’s office serves as the city’s accounting department, conducting internal audits and managing payroll, accounts payable and accounting services for the city…