MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – An unusual battle is brewing within the Monroe County Commission.
It involves Republican Mark Brant, who claims to be a commissioner, while others dispute his eligibility.
Now the county is planning to file a complaint to decide Brant’s future on the board.
At last Tuesday’s (July 15) commissioners meeting, Brant took a seat at the dais and refused to step down.
County Attorney Philip Goldsmith warned Brant that “Nobody wants to have you physically removed or have a police officer come in here and say Mr. Brant, please remove yourself from the dais.”
Brant responded: “Well, that’s what it is going to take because I don’t think you have the authority to tell me that I’m not a county commissioner.”
Commissioners decided to continue with the meeting, with Brant seated among them.
The board previously voted to hold a special election for District 2 after Brant was sentenced last September to federal prison for 18 months for a drug conviction.
The primary for the special election is set for August 5.
Brant is now out of federal prison and has been assigned to a halfway house in Milan, with a release date of December 2025.
Goldsmith argues Brant’s federal supervision disqualifies him from holding office.
“If he is in fact under house confinement and under the direction of the Bureau of Prisons, his qualified elector status hasn’t been restored to him,” he said.
The Monroe Board of Commissioners plans to file a complaint with Monroe County Circuit Court on Tuesday seeking judicial clarity on Brant’s eligibility to serve.
Three candidates are running in the primary to represent District 2 on the board: Democrat Danielle Hoover, Republican Dwayne Dobbs, and Republican Dale Biniecki.
Hoover, over the phone, suggested that if Brant were from a different demographic, he would have been carted out of the meeting.
Dobbs criticized the board’s decision to allow Brant to remain seated at the dais during the meeting.
“The situation we witnessed at the last commission meeting wasn’t just disruptive, it was a distraction from the real work our board should be doing on behalf of the people of Monroe County,” Dobbs said in a statement. “Worse, Mr. Brant was given full access to a county-issued government computer during that meeting, despite his removal from office.”
Biniecki highlighted in a statement the months that District 2 has been without representation.
“That’s simply not fair to the families, farmers, and taxpayers who count on having a strong voice at the table. I’m not here to dwell on the controversy—I’m focused on the people,” he said.
All three candidates said their focus is on the upcoming primary election.
Depending on the outcome of the complaint, Brant told Local 4 he may consider a write-in campaign.
Brant turned down Local 4’s request for a formal on-camera interview.
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