Breaking: Courser Blasts Senate Building, Considers Asking Schuette To Investigate

  State Rep. Todd Courser hangs out with State Rep. Cindy Gamrat (Photo by DarKen Photography

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

State Rep. Todd Courser blasted the new #Meekhof SenateBuilding in a statement to West Michigan Politics Tuesday. Courser also tells WMP he is "considering what the next steps need to be, including asking the attorney general for an opinion."

WMP announced earlier today that we would ask Gamrat or Courser to do just that, and Rep. Courser is moving forward on that process.

>>>WMP Will Fight Controversial $130 Million #MeekhofSenateBuilding, Source Says Lawsuit May Be Filed

"Such actions and attempts to hide such actions, if true, are shameful and should receive the fullest vetting possible, both in the public square and also, if appropriate in the halls of justice," Courser said.


Courser said that "It is unfortunate, shameful, and sinful when a public official or officials work to fleece the public of both their trust and their treasury; the details of the sale of the Senate building should be immediately opened to public scrutiny so the public may determine if there has been wrongdoing by either the current or past Senate leadership."

Courser also blasted Senate Majority Leader Meekhof, writing:

"Unfortunately, we now have the current leadership of the Senate, Arlan Meekhof and company, changing the FOIA rules to keep the public from knowing why their money was spent this way, and who benefited from the gross over-payment of this transaction. This is looking more to political theft than an arms-length transaction for the benefit of the public good. These are the types of unscrupulous transactions that happen in third world counties under despotic leadership; they have no place in our precious Republic."


Here is Courser's full statement:

"It is unfortunate, shameful, and sinful when a public official or officials work to fleece the public of both their trust and their treasury; the details of the sale of the Senate building should be immediately opened to public scrutiny so the public may determine if there has been wrongdoing by either the current or past Senate leadership. In this case, we have last term’s State Senate leadership, led by Randy Richardville, and the Senate members, agreeing to spend the people's money to purchase a building at a cost far above the market price. Each Senator had a chance to vote on this purchase; I am not sure what these Senators were told or knew about the actual value of this building, or the purchase terms, but it is pretty clear now that the taxpayers’ money was fleeced from the treasury.

Unfortunately, we now have the current leadership of the Senate, Arlan Meekhof and company, changing the FOIA rules to keep the public from knowing why their money was spent this way, and who benefited from the gross over-payment of this transaction. This is looking more to political theft than an arms-length transaction for the benefit of the public good. These are the types of unscrupulous transactions that happen in third world counties under despotic leadership; they have no place in our precious Republic. It is now clear that someone profited in a huge way by selling this building at several times its market price; it is absolutely wrong to hide such information from the citizens and to spend the people's treasury in such a grossly inexcusable way.

These actions show why it is absolutely critical to have men and women of integrity in places of authority in all levels of government and society; and why it is absolutely crucial that the public trust and treasury be jealously guarded by those who serve in positions of authority in government. Such breaches cause the public to rightfully feel violated by officials who see themselves not servants of the people but as their master. The public trust is sacred and should not be violated by unscrupulous officials that act selfishly and then shamefully hide such deals from public scrutiny. If there is a deal that spends the public treasury then it should be open and transparent to public scrutiny; when there is not such transparency, then the public must rightfully assume that government is being misused for the benefit of the officials at the expense of the public.

Such actions and attempts to hide such actions, if true, are shameful and should receive the fullest vetting possible, both in the public square and also, if appropriate in the halls of justice."

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com 

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson