Michigan's lack of an open records law covering legislators makes it impossible to obtain Chatfield's email communications about the $1 million appropriation. So he would manipulate me, he would mess with my emotions.". More:Ex-House Speaker Lee Chatfield's ties to marijuana industry getting scrutiny from investigators. Dismiss. "Lee portrays himself as a family tradition, conservative guy who believes in the Bible and the Bible is so important," the younger Chatfield said. Wentworth, through his spokesman, declined my invitation to explain why Anne Minard remains on the state payroll but is no longer serving as treasurer to his PACs and, based on the notation "no other vendor," appears to be persona non grata when it comes to his political funds. "Lee quickly took me in," Rebekah said, adding that her father's health began to decline and she became more involved with the Chatfield family. If the attorney general's affidavit is accurate, Chatfield also funded his lavish lifestyle with money from people who wanted to make friends with one of the most powerful elected officials in Michigan. Rebekahs mother, Debbie Newberry, claimed to have seen a change in her daughters behavior in her later teenage years as Lee allegedly began to groom her daughter. A resolution never came up for a vote in the House. A former Australian Schoolboys and Queensland Under 18 representative player, Howarth is in his second season in the Melbourne Storm's top 30 squad. Her and her family, theyre working through it. Hawks and his wife, Orlene Hawks, the director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, hosted Chatfield on at least two occasions at their summer home in the upscale resort community of Bay Harbor, according to a source familiar with the Chatfield-Hawks relationship who was not authorized to speak because of an ongoing criminal investigation. Contact him atmlelrick@freepress.comor follow him on Twitter at@elrick,Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick. Rebekah and Aaron were pushed to marry when at 19, after their families discovered they were having sex, according to the report. I don't want to get ahead of myself again so far everyone connected to the Chatfield matter accused of wrongdoing has professed their innocence but I love trials. Despite helping him climb to the top, it appears the heat of the spotlight trained on the Minards got too hot for Wentworth. Lee married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie (Zondervan), and they have four sons and one daughter. After reviewing more than 1,000 pages of records detailing Chatfield's political funds and a nonprofit he used to advance his political agenda, I reported in August that Chatfield's spending looked a lot like the kind of financial chicanery that helped former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick earn a 28-year prison sentence for public corruption. Get email updates for new Salesperson jobs in Chatfield, TX. Over the past four years, Wentworth's campaign committee and two PACs paid the Minards' Victor Strategies more than $11,000, primarily for consulting and bookkeeping. But he did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship. In exploring the links between Chatfield and GCSI, The News also learned Chatfield won a $1 million appropriation for a Petoskey-area performing arts center whose board members at the time included the wife of GCSI CEO and co-owner Mike Hawks. And I know the only way to get justice for this is to come forward and to file a criminal (complaint) against him.. Some lobbying firms even have fundraising facilities in their buildings that lawmakers can use to throw parties and raise dough. In his first race for state Rep in 2014, Chatfield began his campaign to deny LGBTQ+ people their civil rights by using that as a wedge issue against fellow Republican Frank Foster, who supported adding sexual orientation and gender identity to ELCRA. The Emmet County Republican's rental of the Lansing apartment from the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association likely skirted the spirit of the state's lobbying law, one expert said, because the trade group never disclosed the transactions over six years. As of the 2020 Census, Michigan state representatives represented an average of 91,612 residents. Gretchen Whitmer on Saturday questioning why the legislature was not warned about the plot to take . "Whatever 'details' this woman is now claiming are irrelevant because Mr. Chatfield did not rape her, and he will provide evidence to the police as they conduct their investigation.". U14*- Born 2009, 2010 - Players must be at secondary school (Yr 9) to be eligible for selection. The U/19's double-header will kick off the 2022 Representative Round weekend with Ampol women's State of Origin to follow on Friday, international Test matches on Saturday before Ampol Men's State of Origin on Sunday completes the round. Whitmer formally blocked the Muskegon County casino project in June after the City of Detroit lobbied hard against the proposal. The tribe's plans were coming to a head in 2019 and 2020 while Chatfield was speaker, the top position in the House, and the federal government was considering whether to allow the project to proceed. More:5 revelations in the Chatfield investigation search warrant affidavits. 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. Lee Chatfield. Newbury told Bridge Michigan her daughter, then 16, was "old enough to make her own decisions" and so Rebekah moved in with her father, who lived about an hour from the school and church compound in Burt Lake, Michigan. Right now, we have more questions than answers. Politicians sometimes create multiple PACs so that donors who hit their contribution limit to one account can essentially give as much as they want as long as there are enough PACs to which they can max out. 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. No, it couldnt be further from who my man was as a person.. The investigation began in January after Lee Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield, accused him of sexually abusing her beginning when she was 15 years old. Since no one has accused Wentworth of wrongdoing, it would seem there's no good reason for him to clam up when one of his employees has given us reason to wonder whether state government is corrupt. Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, who supported the casino project near his district, said there was a "sense of urgency" among lobbyists working for the Little River Band to get something done by the end of 2020 because they felt Chatfield was in support and he was departing the Legislature by the end of that year. Hauck said he urged the speaker not to go forward with the resolution. The actions that she took prove a consensual affair and not an assaultive relationship," Chartier also said. Chatfield, a prolific fundraiser, was part of a culture in Lansing that emphasized raising money and chasing campaign checks, a system that effectively empowered the lobbyists because they controlled the money, Paquette said. House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Rep. Jim Lilly were photographed on Friday night indulging in a bottle of Dom Perignon at the hotel's Benjamin Bar & Lounge. Governmental Consultant Services, Inc.'s logo in the window of the multi-client lobbying firm's downtown Lansing office. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, Whitmer named to lead Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. By May 12, the Wentworth Majority Fund PAC and Wentworth Majority Fund 2 had replaced Anne Minard as treasurer with Kellie Rankey. "When GCSI became available, they approached the tribe, and tribal leadership decided to add additionalhelp to the lobbying efforts," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Little River Band. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said on Twitter the GOP leaders are "flying to D.C. at Trump's beck and call, willingly participating in the president's desperate attempt to overturn the election . 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. State Rep. Lee Chatfield is inviting residents to join him during local office hours for the months of September and October. . Anne Minard reportedly said she was not aware of any "unethical or illegal" use of funds, but conceded Lee Chatfield's spending was "excessive.". So if I told (the Chatfields), that would, that would ruin everything. Aaron quit school earlier to support his brothers political career. "If I told [the Chatfields], that would, that would ruin everything. GCSI represents multiple clients who are regulated by LARA. See if you qualify! Lee Roberson Chatfield (born May 25, 1988) is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. In 2019 before GCSI began lobbying for the casino Chatfield told Ananich he opposed the project, Ananich told The News. | Learn more about Sean Chatfield's work experience, education . Michigan House of Representatives District 107 is represented by Neil Friske (R). But he said they could get more information. "There was an ongoing . Lee Chatfield, the then-Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, speaks during a campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan, on October 17, 2020. 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. Court records describing the new accusations were obtained by the Detroit News. During Chatfield's tenure as speaker of the House, Michigan had divided government, with both chambers of the legislature controlled by Republicans, but with a Democratic governor (Gretchen Whitmer). Chatfield won the primary and the general election . Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc and Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed. That's unfortunate, because elected officials have an obligation to speak out on important matters, such as whether we can trust them and their staff unless the official thinks there's a chance he someday will have to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. This is about the integrity of the chamber," said Rep. Joe Tate, a Detroit Democrat. Republican Lee Chatfield is under police investigation over claims of sexual assault. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of theML's Soul of Detroit podcast. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019, and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. A Gary Owen is listed as a director of the entity, according to state business records. Aaron Chatfield, Lee's younger brother, spoke with Bridge Michigan and said he supports his wife. I didnt know there were options for therapy.. 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. After three two-year terms, Chatfield's career as a state representative ended on Dec. 31, 2020 when he was term-limited. The woman who accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield of multiple sexual assaults since she was a teenager was revealed to be his own sister-in-law.. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married . Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, said she was trying to create a safe work environment, but the House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said the sign took away people's Second Amendment rights and . . I always had questions, he told Bridge. Minard and her husband, Rob, have been in the news since January, when their roles as key aides to Chatfield emerged in the wake of accusations that Chatfield had sexually assaulted his sister-in-law. But she and her mother, Debbie Newbury, both told that Bridge Michigan Lee urged her to stay in his family's orbit. She still serves as the director of LARA, which oversees professional licensing and regulates the liquor and marijuana industries. 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. [19], Following the backlash from his hiring, Southwest Michigan First and Chatfield stated that they would support expanding the state's civil rights act (the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act) to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a stance that the Southwest Michigan First board had voted in 2017 to support. 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. After he finished he said, Dont worry. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan House of Representatives Speaker and Republican Lee Chatfield . View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. 0:05 / 0:31. Stephen Mayne sat down with him for this week's Chairman interview - the first of 2018 . [13][11][14], In February 2022, state police searched the home of Chatfield's former top staff members, Rob and Anne Minard. Chatfield's financial activities, while he was a top lawmaker, are now under criminal investigation by Attorney General Dana Nessel's office. The Levering Republican paid $1,960 to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) after he brought the weapon to the Pellston Regional [] If state officials learned only one thing over the past decade or so, it should be that we want to know whether the water we're drinking is clean. That said, it is clear the attorney general's investigators believe they are peeling back the layers of an onion that will make anyone who cares about integrity and good government weep bitter tears. In a statement, Orlene Hawks didn't answer directly about whether she had spoken to Chatfield about the $1 million appropriation. The woman who accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield of multiple sexual assaults since she was a teenager was revealed to be his own sister-in-law. [11][12], The sexual abuse is alleged to have begun when the girl was attending Chatfield's church, Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church, and continued while she was a student at the school associated with the church, where Chatfield taught physical education. View 1 property photo, floor plans and Kalkallo suburb information. According to the House Republicans, the district features Chippewa, Emmet and Mackinac counties and a portion of Cheboygan County. "Lee and I probably work more closely together than any other legislator and I know from working with him on tribal issues in the past he is very responsive to the tribal values and sovereignty," LaPorte wrote. When I was in my darkest place, I didnt know what else to do, and he continued to remind me that I didnt have, really, anyone else but him, she said. 2 Beds. Most relevant. 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