Meijer acknowledges funding recall bid

Meijer acknowledges funding recall bid

	Published : Sun, 23 Dec 2007 21:43 By : Agencies Print this Story

ACME TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Retail giant Meijer Inc. has acknowledged funding a failed recall effort targeting elected officials in this northern Michigan community that followed years of zoning disputes about a planned store.

Meijer paid a public relations business at least $30,000 in an effort to remove the board for Grand Traverse County's Acme Township, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported Sunday, citing its review of records in the case.

'Prior to this month, senior company officials believed that no financial contributions had been made to a local taxpayers group,' Meijer said in statement Saturday. 'New information indicates otherwise.'

The public relations business crafted recall language, devised election strategy, wrote campaign literature and used local residents as figureheads, the newspaper said. The contributions weren't reported to the state.

'Meijer is completing its review of the facts and will meet any reporting requirements that emerge.' Meijer said.

Grand Rapids-based Meijer also said Saturday it had settled a lawsuit filed by Acme Treasurer William Boltres and acknowledged contributions to a pro-recall group. The settlement bars Boltres from commenting, and terms weren't disclosed.

Meijer said Sunday it couldn't comment beyond the statement.

Before the agreement, Boltres spoke about the case.

'I didn't want all this, but they just kept hammering me and at some point you have to say enough,' Boltres said.

Details of the recall effort were disclosed in depositions that were a part of Boltres' lawsuit. The newspaper this month obtained documents, including $30,000 worth of invoices addressed to Meijer from the public relations business, Seyferth Spaulding Tennyson Inc. of Grand Rapids.

Dan Spaulding, a principal with Seyferth Spaulding Tennyson, said Sunday he couldn't comment.

Acme Clerk Dorothy Dunville, a target of the February recall, said: 'It gives me a chill, how much money they can spend to ruin other people.'

In 2005, a nine-month freeze on 'big-box' commercial development in Acme Township, where Meijer wanted a 230,000-square-foot superstore, was narrowly defeated by voters. The moratorium was sought by the township board.

The board had earlier approved a temporary ban on constructing retail structures larger than 50,000 square feet. Members at the time said they wanted more time to revise land-use regulations to exert more local control over such projects and incorporate them into a traditional town center.