WALLED LAKE, Mich. – A popular elected official in Walled Lake just got kicked out of the City Council in controversial fashion.
Walled Lake is two square miles and has around 7,000 residents. The City Council voted out one of its members because of what she is accused of saying to a young intern.
Former council member Susan Helke is a retired grandmother and an admitted contrarian. She lost her seat Feb. 1.
"I think it's a terrible thing to do to the city," Helke said.
A 23-year-old Oakland Community College student, Miranda Gross, filed a complaint with the city after Helke allegedly used a controversial phrase to describe Gross in front of residents and staff after a meeting a year and a half ago.
"When you call someone a 'silly F'n twit,' yes, that's very degrading," Mayor Linda Ackley said.
"Never," Helke said. "I wouldn't call anyone that."
Gross filed a hostile work environment complaint against Helke, and in an affidavit, said, "Although I am youthful looking, I am not a juvenile and I prefer not to be treated as such by any elected official. The offensive, unwanted, demeaning, humiliating conduct originally complained about came in the form of classless questioning by council member Helke."
The comment was a "violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of the gender bias," Ackley said.
Nobody involved believed Helke asked for a date or mentioned anything about Gross' gender. Yet after a long investigation and considerable debate, the City Council voted 5-1 to remove Helke.
"It was not political on my part," Ackley said.
"I had almost 400 people vote for me, and I think they've been disenfranchised, disrespected," Helke said.
Helke wrote an apology letter to Gross, but she and the council members said they didn't believe it was genuine.
Now, Helke is considering a court challenge and will continue her political activism, possibly including another run for City Council and backing others to run.