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Residents and commissioners demand apology after police were called on Mount Clemens volunteer
Summary
Public commenters and several commissioners called for a public apology to Tommy Barnes after a commissioner reportedly contacted police about a heated exchange at a prior meeting; speakers praised Barnes’ years of volunteer work at KS and urged internal resolution rather than police involvement.
Several Mount Clemens residents who addressed the commission urged a public apology to Thomas (Tommy) Barnes and criticized the decision by a commissioner to involve police after a confrontation at a previous meeting.
"If that kind of thing happens what does that do to our willingness to come forward and talk?" said Eric Rick (1689 Hampton), who opened the public-comment sequence by describing the earlier meeting’s tone and the police contact. Ruthie Stevenson (69 Ban Street) said law enforcement had found no wrongdoing and called for an apology to Barnes.
Kevin Lancaster, president of the Macomb County Ministerial Alliance and pastor of Love Life Family Christian Center, told commissioners he personally vouched for Barnes’ character and stood with his organization, asking the commission to "reverse what's been said." Ronda Powell warned against "weaponizing the police" to handle disputes between officials and residents, saying such actions are inappropriate and harm community trust.
Tommy Barnes, who spoke later in the meeting, defended his work at the KS community center and urged the commission to focus on programming for the city’s children. Commissioners responding during the comment period repeatedly praised Barnes’ volunteer efforts at KS, noting recent events, youth programming, and improvements to local parks and recreation that Barnes has helped organize.
Several commissioners said an administrative path — including a memorandum of understanding and liability protections should an outside partner operate KS — is under discussion to protect the city while allowing community programming to continue. Commissioner comments noted that the city is pursuing a potential short-term agreement with the Mount Clemens Public Library to operate KS programming until a recreation director is hired.
The meeting ended after the mayor called for a short recess and a closed session; no formal reprimand or formal apology was recorded in the transcript during this meeting.
(Reporting note: quotes and characterizations are drawn from the meeting transcript.)
