Macomb GOP official files suit over abrupt firing

By CHAD SELWESKI

Chad.selweski@macombdaily.com; @cbsnewsman

A Macomb County Republican Party official who was bounced from his post as the West Bloomfield Township deputy treasurer after a tumultuous first week on the job has filed suit, claiming he was improperly fired after having his pay arbitrarily cut by 43 percent.

 In a Macomb Circuit Court lawsuit, Jared Maynard alleges that his firing was a breach of contract, a violation of his right to discuss personal matters in a closed session, a result of him acting as a whistleblower, and in retaliation for his Republican politics.

“It’s a veritable smorgasbord. He … was railroaded and trampled underfoot,” said attorney Frank Cusumano, who is representing Maynard, the former Harrison Township deputy treasurer and former Macomb GOP chairman.

In contrast, township Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste suggested that Maynard’s lawsuit won’t last much longer than his employment with the township. Ureste said the court papers are filled with “a bunch of bunk” that ignores ample evidence that Maynard was unprofessional and obnoxious.

“I’ve never seen anyone create such a firestorm in one week’s time. It was unbelievable,” she said. “He … started making nasty statements. He started throwing around insults. He made false claims against our staff.”

At his first appearance before the seven-member township board – all Democrats -- on July 22, Maynard was stripped of his abilities as a deputy to handle bank transactions. That move came after Clerk Catherine Shaughnessy suggested that Maynard, who serves on the Macomb GOP Finance Committee, had already completed one bank document incorrectly.

Maynard was accused one day later of insubordination by the township board and officials cut his pay from $70,000 to $40,000, citing Maynard’s lack of experience.

Treasurer Teri Weingarden stood behind her decision to hire Maynard and praised his abilities. But she eventually agreed to terminate him in August when Maynard, already embroiled in controversy and with his duties slashed, was accused of improper behavior at his previous job in Harrison Township. Ureste asserts that he also has a track record going back to his six years with Harrison Township of suing his employer.

Maynard was the fourth deputy treasurer in politically volatile West Bloomfield Township since 2009. At the Sept. 9 township board meeting, members noted that a former deputy treasurer, Dorothy Silver, was again back in her post.