She still serves as the director of LARA, which oversees professional licensing and regulates the liquor and marijuana industries. However, the jobs did not have to be reported on any required disclosures from Lee Chatfield while he served as speaker of the House, with the power to set policies affecting the marijuana industry. Soave testified that Hizzoner didn't pay a dime for the flights, which added up to about $400,000. 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 . Speaker Chatfield's heavy-handed approach to Representative C.A. View job description, responsibilities and qualifications. The Little River Band didn't begin meeting with Chatfield until 2020 to make the case for the proposed casino near Muskegon, Shields said. Most prosecutors and judges prefer plea deals to trials. After he finished he said, Dont worry. 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. "During their affair, this woman regularly contacted Mr. Chatfield to initiate sexual encounters, and she took steps to hide the affair from others, including her husband. He said he didn't know about the alleged sexual abuse though he "always had questions.". "Lee portrays himself as a family tradition, conservative guy who believes in the Bible and the Bible is so important," the younger Chatfield 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. That didn't answer my questions, but it sure did ease my mind. "I didn't know there were options for therapy.". Each time she would break up with Aaron, she said Lee would coax them back together. Stephanie Chatfield, 28, wife of Michigan State Representative Lee Chatfield (R-Levering), also 28, wrote in a Facebook post Friday about an incident in which she was apparently sexually assaulted . When the time came to raise big bucks in 2017, Anne Minard signed on as treasurer of the Wentworth Majority Fund Political Action Committee. 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. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. 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. [20] A few days after beginning his new job, Chatfield resigned, citing the controversy.[21]. His father is pastor of the church, the school superintendent and a teacher. Because sunlight may be the only disinfectant that will help us clean up Michigan politics. Jack "Jackey" Chatfield is an American politician, businessman, and rancher, currently serving as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Owen has not responded to requests for comment about the Attorney General's affidavit. Strong sales / Operations professional graduated from Southern Cross University. Aaron claimed to remember his older brother being handsy with his then-girlfriend when they were younger. "They preach at the pulpit that the men are always right, the women have no say," she said. ", "Scofes and Associates were leadingthe lobbying team, and they retained GCSI," Shields said. The News' wide-ranging investigation revealed GCSI lobbyists wined and dined Chatfield like no other House speaker in the past decade, picking up the tab for thousands of dollars in free food, drink and travel that was nearly six times what the firm disclosed spending on Chatfield's three immediate predecessors combined. In 2017, the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency said the Detroit Salt Company was the only business of four road salt suppliers with state contracts that would have benefited from the change. Their affair lasted for years, but they were both consenting adults, she said. In the 2017-18 term, when he held a lower-ranking leadership position in the House, Chatfield successfully secured a $1 million appropriation in the state budget for the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor, a resort community west of Petoskey overlooking Little Traverse Bay. "He did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship," the attorney, Mary Chartier, said. In 2018, "the Great Lakes Center for the Arts reached out" to Chatfield requesting assistance with an economic development project in his House district, according to Orlene Hawks' statement. Hauck did not provide additional details about his discussion with Chatfield. Let's hope they do, without fear or favor. "Thats how he moved his agenda, Greig said of the relationship. I dont remember how I asked, I just remember saying, Is something going on between you and Lee?. In 2017, a local Rotary Club posted the above photo of the Chatfields and wrote, "Representative Lee Chatfield and his wife Stephanie at this year's Diamonds & Denim event at Bay Harbor . Lee Chatfield, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives penned to a letter to Gov. But it wasn't until he testified to providing then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his family with about 20 round-trip flights to the Bahamas, Florida, New York and Texas on Soave's private jet that we learned how he greased the gears of government. Skilled in Cold Calling, Heavy Equipment, Metal Fabrication, Behaviour Based Safety, and Business Relationship Management. Last name. "And we will continue to advocate for our clients using the highest standards of professionalism which has been the basis for our reputation and continued growth and success.". View Samantha Chatfield's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. "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. A former Australian Schoolboys and Queensland Under 18 representative player, Howarth is in his second season in the Melbourne Storm's top 30 squad. His current term ends on December 31, 2024. In mid-February 2021, after leaving office, Chatfield was appointed as the new CEO of Southwest Michigan First, a privately funded economic development organization covering the seven counties of southwest Michigan (Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren). January 27, 2022, 11:25 AM. 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. And he walked out., After Rebekah and Aaron were married, the affair allegedly continued while the two went off to separate colleges. LaPorte and Hawks had a close relationship with Chatfield. The alleged assaults began when the then-14- or 15-year-old girl attended Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church and Northern Michigan Christian Academy near Burt Lake, about 60 miles northeast of Traverse City, White said.The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly. According to the News, the Attorney General investigator's affidavit said Chatfield asked his brother Aaron to buy Adderall for GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. Rebekah says she spent time in the Chatfield home, babysitting his young children with his wife and spending the night when it was too late to venture home. Chatfield's brother Aaron reportedly told investigators that Lee Chatfield asked him to buy Adderall for a lobbyist buddy. Which is too bad, because I have a lot of questions for him about one of his employees, who is at the heart of what could turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in Michigan political history. Scofes and Associates did report hiring the other lobbyists in an arrangement that clouded the public's ability to know GCSI and LaPorte were working on behalf of the tribe. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Ex-con sentenced to 37 to life in prison for brutal rape inside NYC sidewalk shed, Lawyer attacked by client who allegedly decapitated lover withdraws from case, Behind teen girls sky-high depression: Forced sex, social media, Woke LA DA suspends lead prosecutor of trans woman convicted of molesting 10-year-old girl. Complaints about lobbying are investigated by the Attorney General's office. Samantha has 8 jobs listed on their profile. No, it couldnt be further from who my man was as a person.. Neither of the 19-year olds were prepared for marriage, and had second thoughts, the report said. 94,281 [2] Michigan's 107th House of Representatives district (also referred to as Michigan's 107th House district) is a legislative district within the Michigan House of Representatives located in parts of Cheboygan, Chippewa, and Mackinac counties, as well as all of Charlevoix and Emmet counties. I always had questions, he told Bridge. [9] Despite pressure from Trump, Chatfield ultimately declined to support passage of a Michigan Legislation to pass a resolution purporting to retroactively change Michigan's slate of electors for Trump, saying that such a move "would bring mutually assured destruction for every future election in regards to the Electoral College" and "we would lose our country forever. Investigations take time, but dedicated diggers will almost always turn up the truth. Chatfield is the speaker of the Michigan House for the 2019-2020 legislative session. Since Aaron learned about his brothers years of assault on his wife in December, he has been supportive of his wife and is confident she is telling the truth, he alleged. Foster supported expanding civil rights protections in Michigan to . They wanted us to manage them," Scofes said of the Little River Band. 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. In 2019, like politicians before him who aspired to be speaker, Wentworth set up a second PAC. Ft. 7830 Richwood Dr, ORLANDO, FL 32825. The assaults allegedly began when she dated the politicians younger brother and continued until 2021, she told the outlet. State Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, is the new Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. "Theres enough there," Thomas said. So if I told (the Chatfields), that would, that would ruin everything. Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield was reportedly living an extravagant lifestyle in relation to his roughly $100,000 taxpayer-funded salary, thanks in part to . The salary range is from $54,001 to $81,085. 1,056 Sq. Aaron Chatfield, Lee's younger brother, spoke with Bridge Michigan and said he supports his wife. His attorney acknowledged he had a relationship with Rebekah while he was married but said she was mischaracterizing a consensual affair between adults. RT @CraigDMauger: Former Rep. Frank Foster, a Republican who pushed for this change in 2014 and lost a primary race against Lee Chatfield, is in the Senate gallery this morning. I couldnt see what would happen past then. Anne Minard was treasurer of each of Chatfield's PACs. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married to the politicians younger brother, claims the former speaker assaulted her more times than I can count beginning when she was 15 years old more than a decade ago. Republican Lee Chatfield is under police investigation over claims of sexual assault. State police spokesperson Shanon Banner declined to provide additional information. ", "For four decades, GCSI has fostered and built relationships with a variety of leaders and lawmakers in both parties as well as with different organizations and we will continue to do so in compliance with state and federal laws," the statement by Hawks, Profit and Farrah said. He claimed to Bridge that hed worked in Lansing as Lees driver and would take the rising politician to strip clubs and to meet with various women, including a former staffer. [17], Due to term limits, Chatfield was ineligible to run for another term in the Michigan House of Representatives. That relationship and access seems to have been especially strong with Chatfield. 2 Baths. Price information. Chatfield's actions as speaker are the subject of an ongoing probe into an alleged "criminal enterprise." Daly also is president of a company called "Barton Re Ventures." They "ran that whole church and school," she said. Mark N. Clement. Michigan is currently one of two states where the governor's office and lawmakers are exempt from open records requests, meaning letters, emails and text messages between Chatfield and lobbyists about pending bills can remain secret. Theyre looking forward to working with law enforcement to bring this allegation to conclusion and (bring) accountability for others that have been harmed.. Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc and Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed. SOLD JUN 10, 2022. "By no stretch of the imagination is that social welfare," said longtime elections lawyer Mark Brewer, whose main areas of practice include campaign finance and nonprofit law. But on Feb. 25, 2021, about two months after Chatfield left office, the House approved a symbolic resolution in opposition to off-reservation gaming. Rebekah Chatfield, who is married to the former Michigan state representative's younger brother Aaron, gives details of alleged abuse that began years ago when she was a teenager Another source who declined to be identified because of the ongoing investigation said Chatfield visited a home Hawks owned in Bay Harbor on at least two occasions. I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life, she told Bridge. In December 2020, the federal government made determinations in favor of the Muskegon County project. 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. Stephen Mayne sat down with him for this week's Chairman interview - the first of 2018 . Representative Chatfield and other House Republican supporters believe the bill would increase economic development by keeping money in family's pockets. Aaron quit school earlier to support his brothers political career. Orlene Hawks was a member of the board at that time and resigned from it in 2019 after Whitmer appointed her director of the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. In December 2020, GCSI Chief Executive Hawks was present in the speaker's office when then-President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, visited amid a push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two sources. "I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life," Rebekah told Bridge Michigan. 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. The center didn't register to lobby state officials until 2021. The lobbying firm that now represents the center is Public Strategies Group, which Chatfield's former chief of staff, Minard, launched after leaving the Legislature at the end of 2020. 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