Kalamazoo commissioners cancel membership with Southwest Michigan First over CEO selection
Updated Feb 16, 2021;
KALAMAZOO, MI The Kalamazoo City Commission has distanced itself from Southwest Michigan First after the organization hired a new CEO with a high-profile political resume and views that commissioners say they do not agree with.
Former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield has been hired as CEO of the economic development nonprofit Southwest Michigan First, the organization announced on Thursday, Feb. 11.
At the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting on Monday, Feb. 15, Commissioner Erin Knott made the motion that the city withdraw from Southwest Michigan First’s Council of 100, which includes other entities such as Western Michigan University, Bronson HealthCare, Millennium Restaurant Group, Greenleaf Trust, Stryker, and others, according to the Southwest Michigan First web site.
Kalamazoo city manager says no employees participated in US Capitol riots
City of Kalamazoo
By: FOX 17
and last updated 2021-01-19 11:13:19-05
KALAMAZOO, Mich. â Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema says thereâs no evidence suggesting any city employees â including police officers â participated in the riots at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
He added that the city will fully cooperate with authorities investigating the riots if any evidence becomes available to the contrary.
Read Ritsemaâs full statement:
âThere have been inquiries by local citizens questioning if any KDPS or other City employees were engaged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. To date the City administration has no information and no reason to believe that any City employee was engaged in any criminal behavior in our nationâs capital on January 6. If evidence becomes available to the contrary, the City will fully cooperate with author
2020 was a year of protests, police and change in Kalamazoo
Updated Dec 30, 2020;
Posted Dec 30, 2020
2020 in Kalamazoo was a year marked with protests, change and deeper looks at race, policy and those who lead. (Joel Bissell | MLive)
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KALAMAZOO, MI Kalamazoo in 2020 mirrored much of what was going on across the nation.
The varying affects of the coronavirus pandemic. Protests. A deeper look at racism in America. Contention in the political sphere. And changes in leadership.
After a relatively quiet start to the year, and almost eerie silence on the streets brought on by two months of COVID-driven shutdowns, things changed drastically again after George Floyd was killed May 25 by a Minneapolis police officer as two fellow officers stood by.
Kalamazoo city manager apologizes for not disclosing that police chief was fired
Updated Dec 21, 2020;
Posted Dec 21, 2020
Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema listens as community activists ask question during a press conference at City Hall in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. The press conference was held after protestors and counter protestors clashed in downtown Kalamazoo on Saturday, Aug. 15. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com
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KALAMAZOO, MI Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema apologized to the community for how his office withheld key information about former chief of public safety Karianne Thomas’s separation from the city.
Karianne Thomas was fired, the Kalamazoo Gazette confirmed in a story published in December, months after she left her position as public safety chief.
Thomas had served with KDPS as the Chief since 2017.
During a virtual meeting Monday night, City Manager Ritsema spoke on the matter, explaining why it had previously been said that she had resigned. The conversation began earlier in the meeting when an item was presented for approval, which would allow KDPS Assistant Chief of Investigations David Boysen to enter the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).
According to city documents, KDPS members are eligible to retire with an unreduced pension at any age after 25 years of credited, or age 50 with 10 years of credited service. The program allows those approved to defer their retirement allowance for a specific period of time, as long as that period does not exceed eight years. Documents state that this program allows the city to “retain valuable, skilled employee’s and aid with succession planning.”