State redistricting commission reverses pay raise
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Facing backlash, Michigan’s redistricting panel reversed course Thursday and ended a 7% pay raise the commissioners gave themselves a month ago.
The state constitutional amendment that created the independent commission says members must make at least $39,825 annually, a quarter of the governor’s salary. Commissioners voted last year to be paid $55,755 a year and, in February, approved an increase to nearly $60,000 on an 8-3 vote. They described it as a cost-of-living adjustment to account for high inflation.
The commissioners voted 12-1 to return their pay to $55,755. They drew new congressional and legislative maps late last year but continue to meet as groups challenge the plans in court.
“We represent the people. I’m a taxpayer, too. I don’t want spend any more of my money,” said Richard Weiss, a commissioner who affiliates with neither major political party.
Weiss, who voted against the raise last month, echoed a Republican commissioner’s concerns that keeping it intact would hurt the panel’s request for lawmakers to allocate funding to address a budget shortfall that is attributed largely to litigation costs.
Vice-chair Dustin Witjes, a Democrat and one of seven commissioners to change his vote, said he did so to avoid seeing the issue raised at every future meeting.
OCBA presents ‘Conversation with a Barrister’ April 20
The Oakland County Bar Association will present “Conversation with a Barrister” online Wednesday, April 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. via Zoom,
This exclusive virtual event will feature a presentation with two English barristers who now practice in the United States. The guests will be American Inns of Court Board of Trustee Anthony Haller and his colleague Amelia Clegg. Haller is a Master of the Bench of Gray’s Inn, London. Clegg is a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Both are attorneys with the Blank Rome law firm.
The two will discuss the history and function of the English Inns in the English legal system, the relationship between the English Inns and early American history, and the influence of the English Inns on the development of the American Inns system. They will be able to provide their unique perspective of having practiced law in both England and the United States.
This virtual event is made possible through the American Inns of Court and the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple Adopt-a-Barrister program.
To register for this online program, visit www,ocba.org and click on “events.” For questions, contact Merri Lee Jones at 248-334-3400.
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