Council Member Has Missed Half of 2019 Meetings

Above: Ruth Beier at the January 8, 2019, meeting of City Council.

East Lansing City Council Member Ruth Beier has now missed half of all Council meetings in 2019. Of the six Council meetings that have taken place this year, Beier has missed three.

This follows a leave of absence from Council meetings last year, from mid-August through December, to enable Beier to take a class required for the teaching certification she is seeking.

At Council meetings this year, Mayor Mark Meadows explained Beier was out of town for the birth of her grandchild on January 22 and in Sault St. Marie for activities related to her job with the Michigan Education Association on February 19.

No public reason was provided for this Tuesday’s absence, but a source tells ELi Beier is abroad on vacation. When reached for comment, Beier said that she was out of the country.

Beier responded by email, “Now that I have finished the classes for my teaching certificate, I will not have another prolonged absence. My day job sometimes requires me to attend unscheduled night meetings that can fall on Tuesdays, but I will, as always, endeavor to attend all city council meetings.”

In 2018, when Mayor Mark Meadows took a leave of absence to take a vacation in Spain, overlapping with Beier’s leave of absence, certain Council business was stalled. Council Member Shanna Draheim ultimately called what happened a “bait and switch”.

With only Draheim, Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann, and Council Member Aaron Stephens present for a series of meetings, the three had to unanimously agree to pass anything. In practice, this repeatedly gave Altmann veto power over Council business.

Beier’s leave ultimately ended in September, with Council then voting instead to delay meeting times by 75 minutes to accommodate Beier’s class schedule. That vote happened at what was supposed to be a discussion-only meeting, and Draheim and Stephens expressed disappointment over how the matter had played out.

Council members are automatically removed from their seats due to absences only under particular circumstances. The East Lansing City Charter states that missing four consecutive Council sessions automatically results in removal, as does missing 25% of regular meetings in any 12-month span.

Of the three meetings missed by Beier in 2019, two were regular meetings and one was a discussion-only work session. Beier was reelected to Council in November 2017 for a four-year term.

The next meeting of City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5.