Are Lisa Manzella’s “Investigation” Cries Justified - or Political Publicity Stunts?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

First, we want to clear up something we posted last time.  In our October 26th report, we mentioned that Shelby Township Trustee Lisa Manzella was gearing up for a planned campaign for Shelby Township Treasurer.  After we raised this possibility, we received the following e-mail (which made us smile):

“To the liars at the inside out.  Lisa Manzella is great!!!!!!!!!!!! !! !!  She is a real conservative, not like those other fakes on the Board.  You have no proof about your claim that she wants to be Treasurer, and are just trying to smear this fine lady.  If you have proof, show it.”

Your wish is our command.  Here is the proof you requested to see:

Now what do you think?  Are we lying just to try and smear this “fine lady”?

Advantage Associates is a Lansing-based communications firm.  Interestingly, a few hours after the company announced their “proud” support of Manzella for Treasurer via Facebook and Twitter, both proclamations mysteriously disappeared.  POOF!  Was it a premature leak that Manzella didn’t want exposed since she had not yet made her intentions public? 

So what is the connection here?  On the Advantage Associates website you will find the name Joseph Manzella as one of the firm’s employees.  Any relation?  You bet.  Joseph Manzella is Lisa’s son.  Now the endorsement makes sense.  What isn’t clear is why Manzella’s name was quickly dropped.

Just imagine what Shelby Township would look like today if Lisa Manzella has been our township Treasurer for the past several years. 
• Lisa Manzella supported $50 million in new bonds/taxes for her “campus”.
• Manzella advocated millions in new spending, including $20 million for an unaffordable “justice center”.
• Manzella said the people should not have the right to vote on new bonds/taxes, going so far as to call any decision to give it to the people “cowardice.”  (see Manzella e-mail to resident Ed Young at right.  Click on the e-mail to see a larger version).
• Manzella has consistently opposed efforts to expose the high costs of union pensions.
• Manzella criticizes Treasurer Viar for his exposé about union pensions — perhaps not wanting to upset her friends/supporters in the union?
• Manzella has said it is better to spend tax money than save it in the bank.  This comment quickly brought criticism from other township Trustees as well as taxpayers.  Manzella has always wanted to spend money, and as Treasurer she will control the checkbook.  Can we afford that risk?
• Manzella once said, while complaining about her fellow Trustees, “actions speak louder than words.”  Well, one look at Manzella’s public record will prove that her actions as Treasurer would be devastating to our township, and would take Shelby back to the days (or just four years ago) when our township was teetering on bankruptcy, facing huge deficits, and heading toward higher taxes to pay for ever-rising spending.

Treasurer Lisa Manzella?  It may sound like a joke, but this is no joking matter.  Shelby taxpayers cannot afford to give Manzella these responsibilities.  She has indicated that she no longer wants to serve on the township Board, so given this attitude why should we trust her with our township’s finances?

Shelby residents know how Lisa Manzella loves to call for “investigations.”  Most recently, Manzella did this when she threatened to file a complaint with the Michigan State Police over what Treasurer Paul Viar called “banker box gate.”  This “banker box” investigation call eerily resembles a complaint that Manzella filed with the Macomb County Prosecutor back in 2009 over what she claimed was an Open Meetings Act violation by the Board of Trustees.

Manzella’s Open Meetings violation got her some favorable publicity to advance her personal agenda.  Here is how the Macomb Daily covered the story:

Manzella tried to play up this alleged scandal big time.  Her goal was clearly to try and paint the Board of Trustees as violating Michigan’s open meetings law.

Did her scheme work?  Two weeks later, Macomb Daily reporter Frank DeFrank wrote the following:

Feeling stung (and perhaps a little embarrassed) that they gut sucked into by Manzella’s publicity stunt, three days later the Macomb Daily wrote the following editorial:

Manzella’s open meetings complaint was thrown out as baseless.  We applaud the Macomb Daily for calling Manzella out on this when they wrote the following:
“...An agenda format is not required.  Consequently, omissions, errors or amendments to a published agenda do not constitute violations of the Open Meetings Act.
“Manzella probably could have come to the same conclusion [that what the Board did was legal] if she had taken time to research the act before going to the Prosecutor’s Office.”
“And lesson No. 2 is for Manzella, who left the meeting early and prior to the discussion of layoffs.  Don’t excuse yourself early and then complain about what happens in your absence.”

Even though she loves to demand investigations, Manzella doesn’t take the time to investigate the facts of an issue herself.  For example, when Manzella called for a State Police investigation over “banker box gate”, she obviously hadn’t investigated the facts before making that knee-jerk remark.  If she had she would have realized how the whole FOIA break-in story by Clerk Terri Kowal stunk to high heaven.

First Clerk Kowal said, publicly and on television, that she filed a police report because someone was going through her stuff.  Then, after it became clear that there was no police report filed, Kowal’s response was that she filed a verbal report.  Initially, according to Kowal, it was a cardboard banker box with string around the ends sitting under her Deputy Clerk’s desk.   However, a few days later, according to Manzella, it became a break-in of “locked file drawers.”

Mrs. Kowal was clearly uncomfortable discussing the FOIA issue and the whole police report aspect of it.  Why?  Was the entire claim a fraud?  How did Manzella come to the conclusion that a cardboard banker box was really locked file drawers?  Who could have told Manzella to make that unfounded claim?  Who should we believe?  Kowal?  Manzella?  Neither?

Despite her proclamation that she would file a written complaint with the Michigan State Police over this the morning after the Tuesday, October 18th Board meeting, Manzella did nothing.  Why bother to announce that you are going to file a Michigan State police complaint, and then fail to follow through?  Was this just an attempt by Lisa Manzella to, hopefully, get a headline or two in one of the local newspapers (as she did with the open meetings issue) to help her political agenda?

Did the publicity stunt work?  Considering the lack of attention that her call for an “investigation” garnered in the press, it appears that Manzella’s plot failed.  Even the Macomb Daily refused to take the bait this time around, opting only to give Manzella’s State Police angle a passing reference in a larger story about the Board removing FOIA duties from Clerk Kowal after she misused the process for her own political agenda.

Lisa Manzella’s constant lies have worn thin with a majority of Shelby taxpayers.  Her support of the recent failed recalls has shown her true political intentions.  Her credibility is waning with her colleagues due to her constant nasty personal attacks on the Board of Trustees.  And now that reporters (once favorable to her) are no longer buying her snake oil, Manzella is purely a lone wolf howling off in the distance.  She may not realize it, but time is quickly running out for Lisa Manzella.

Tick...tick...tick...tick.

Until next time...