Garrett vs. Ficano
Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett (D) announced yesterday afternoon that she would file a lawsuit in the Third Circuit Court, challenging a recent ordinance that strips her of responsiblity for the county's records and transfers it to Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano (D). The new ordinance comes after Mr. Ficano's long-standing desire to move most of the county's records from Detroit to Southgate and Ms. Garrett's resistance to it. The general displeasure that members of the Wayne County Commission felt after she levied fines against many of them for failing to file their campaign finance reports on time was also a likely motivation behind the move.
Ms. Garrett argues that such a transfer violates Michigan's Constitution. She isn't totally wrong in her assertion. Article VI, Section 14 of the State Constitution mandates that the county clerk, and only the county clerk, is responsible for any records relating to the circuit court.
As for county records that aren't related to the court, that isn't as clear. It looks like this will be one of those cases that will likely drag out for months.
