Jerry Bleau's Yellow Northern Turn

[XLFD]

Former Pere Marquette Charter Township's (PMCT) Supervisor Jerry Bleau formally 'retired' from that job back on September 18th.  Before his 'retirement', Bleau was under fire from many in the township, due to his inability to manage his workforce effectively (leading to six resignations of township staff, most pointing to the work environment he fostered) and against his inability to create a plan to correct billing mistakes his wife, Karie Bleau, made as PMCT's treasurer. 

These and other 'character flaws' had him (and his wife) the subject of a recall election to take place on November 7th.  By 'retiring', Jerry effectively nullified the recall election for himself, allowing the PMCT Board the ability to appoint a successor.  It is believed by many that he would have been defeated handily by the only other candidate in the race, racing legend Kelly Smith.

In his 'retirement' letter dated September 18th, Bleau announced "due to an unexpected turn in my life, I am announcing my retirement from the position of township supervisor and building official effective Oct. 1, 2023."  That unexpected turn was never revealed, until now.  

At the time Jerry Bleau drafted his letter, he knew he wasn't in the process of retiring; what he was doing was making a career change, and once again at the expense of PMCT's taxpayers.  Rather than retiring, he applied to be the building inspector for the City of Manistee, reprising the career he had at PMCT before their board appointed him supervisor back in 2019, while he was apparently living in another township according to a MSP investigation.  Township supervisors must actually live in the township they supervise by law.  

While finding another job after one retires is not unheard of, the problem with what Jerry Bleau appears to have done is become Manistee's official building inspector nearly three weeks before he 'retired' from PMCT.  As seen below, he already had his names on Manistee's letterheads on September 15th, the Friday before his widely proclaimed 'retirement'.  

This suggests that Bleau was double dipping from PMCT and the City of Manistee for over two weeks, making one wonder which local entity he served was actually receiving those services.  It also suggests that Jerry Bleau knew damn well he wasn't retiring when he wrote his letter, just knowingly jumping ship while he could so that he could save a little face, by not being recalled as a failed leader. 

For those who have dealt with him, this wasn't an 'unexpected turn', this was very expected cowardice.  A yellow turn taking north US 31 up to a new group of suckers in Manistee, rather than face the voters of PMCT.