Guest Service Representative at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Greater Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Area. Rebekah Chatfield, now 26, is married to the former lawmaker's younger brother Aaron Chatfield, also 26. The chatter grew so loud it prompted Hauck to meet with Chatfield, whose district was 200 miles from where the casino would be located. "I dont know if we ran out of time or what the real reason was," said Hauck, whose district includes the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant. His current term ends on December 31, 2024. "Lee and I probably work more closely together than any other legislator and I know from working with him on tribal issues in the past he is very responsive to the tribal values and sovereignty," LaPorte wrote. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. The accuser, now 26, filed a criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department, which referred it to state police earlier this week. Job Description. Likewise, the Little River Band didn't disclose GCSI and LaPorte as its employees. [11][12], The sexual abuse is alleged to have begun when the girl was attending Chatfield's church, Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church, and continued while she was a student at the school associated with the church, where Chatfield taught physical education. Toward the end of 2020 during Chatfield's final months in office before term limits forced him out rumors percolated at the Capitol that the speaker was going to have the House take up a resolution in favor of the casino, said state Rep. Roger Hauck, R-Union Township, an opponent of the plan. Questions about Soave's relationship with local officials circulated for years. View Samantha Chatfield's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Chatfield's lawyer claimed that the search was an attempt to falsely connect Chatfield to financial improprieties. Rebekah told Bridge Michigan she felt she had no way out from the relationship. 1,056 Sq. The salary range is from $54,001 to $81,085. But it is Minard's role as one of the principals of Victor Strategies that transformed her from political insider and fundraiser extraordinaire to the key that could unlock former Speaker Lee Chatfield's treasure chest of secrets. LaPorte's firm, Capitol Advocacy Services Group LLC, is a registered lobbyist for other tribal casino operators, including the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, which runs the Odawa casinos in Petoskey and Mackinaw City in Chatfield's district in Emmet and Cheboygan counties. In his first race for state Rep in 2014, Chatfield began his campaign to deny LGBTQ+ people their civil rights by using that as a wedge issue against fellow Republican Frank Foster, who supported adding sexual orientation and gender identity to ELCRA. [6] Chatfield had previously introduced a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives to make handgun registration voluntary. "I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life," Rebekah told Bridge Michigan. Representative Chatfield and other House Republican supporters believe the bill would increase economic development by keeping money in family's pockets. State Rep. Lee Chatfield is inviting residents to join him during local office hours for the months of September and October. Chatfield deeply regrets the decisions he has made. The Little River Band didn't begin meeting with Chatfield until 2020 to make the case for the proposed casino near Muskegon, Shields said. I always had questions, he told Bridge. Chatfield was a master of this; he had four PACs. In October, The News first reported that Nessel's investigators have inquired about how three Chatfield siblings landed jobs at the same cannabis retailer that is represented by GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. Their visit to Washington comes as Trump . GCSI represents Ann Arbor-based cannabis entrepreneur James Daly, who hired Chatfield's brothers Aaron and Paul as well as Paul's wife, Hannah, in 2020 to work in his Herbana marijuana retail stores. Despite helping him climb to the top, it appears the heat of the spotlight trained on the Minards got too hot for Wentworth. I couldnt see what would happen past then. Getting to the bottom of Chatfield's relationship with GCSI has the potential to get messy. Lee's attorney told PEOPLE on Friday that he is "innocent of the false rape claims made against him," adding that he had an affair with his accuser while he was married but that the relationship was consensual and happened while both were over the age of 18. Anne Minard was treasurer of each of Chatfield's PACs. At some point in 2020, GCSI, which had been working for the Gun Lake tribal casino located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and Noel LaPorte, another Lansing lobbyist who has worked with GCSI on other matters, began talking to lawmakers on behalf of the Little River Band. "I just saw the way he looked at her," Aaron said. When I was in my darkest place, I didnt know what else to do, and he continued to remind me that I didnt have, really, anyone else but him, she said. Let's hope the Attorney General's investigators, who work for an agency headed by Democrat Dana Nessel, don't flinch if the trail leads them in the direction of other Democrats, or their allies. Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers whomet with then-President Donald Trump at the White Houseas Trump tried to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens win in the state. 03 9328 . It's more than four times what they spent on Wentworth, who succeeded Chatfield as speaker. Skilled in Cold Calling, Heavy Equipment, Metal Fabrication, Behaviour Based Safety, and Business Relationship Management. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019, and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. [20] During his tenure in the Michigan House, Chatfield had opposed such an expansion, which he viewed as an infringement on religious freedom. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy discovered that after 10 years or a 3% reduction rate Representative Chatfield's legislation would save families who earn $0-$21k only 56 dollars a year and families that make $39k to $62k . "He did not assault this woman in any manner during their years-long adult relationship," the attorney, Mary Chartier, said. Lee Chatfield has admitted having an affair with his sister-in-law and with other women, but said that these affairs were between consenting adults. "Thats how he moved his agenda, Greig said of the relationship. State Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, is the new Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. Yet, former House Minority Leader Chris Greig, D-Farmington Hills, said it was common knowledge in Lansing that Chatfield was tight with GCSI's lobbyists. "And it needs to stop.. Steve Scofes, the owner of Scofes and Associates Consulting, said state law allows lobbyists to hire other lobbyists for projects and to report them as their own clients without the organization being represented disclosing the connection. The partnership between Wentworth and the Minards was lucrative, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to the PACs. A Republican state representative in Michigan was rebuked by members of his own party on Monday hours after he made comments suggesting that he and others planned to . Email. Lee Chatfield, the then-Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, speaks during a campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan, on October 17, 2020. Rankey's LinkedIn profile says she is a former self-employed fundraising consultant who got a state job as Wentworth's director of legislative affairs before becoming his director of external affairs. In January 2020, Daly was one of Chatfield's guests at Whitmer's 2020 State of the State address and sat on the House floor next to Rob Minard, the speaker's chief of staff, The News reported in October. Southwest Michigan First, a Kalamazoo-based economic development organization, has named former House Speaker Lee Chatfield as CEO. Rebekahs mother, Debbie Newberry, claimed to have seen a change in her daughters behavior in her later teenage years as Lee allegedly began to groom her daughter. Since Aaron learned about his brothers years of assault on his wife in December, he has been supportive of his wife and is confident she is telling the truth, he alleged. Price information. 6636 10th Ave Southwest, Rochester, Minnesota 55902. "They preach at the pulpit that the men are always right, the women have no say," she said. His attorney acknowledged he had a relationship with Rebekah while he was married but said she was mischaracterizing a consensual affair between adults. He was first elected from the 107th House district in 2015. Phone and text messages seeking comment were left by the AP Thursday night for Chatfield, 33, who left the House in 2020 due to term limits. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said on Twitter the GOP leaders are "flying to D.C. at Trump's beck and call, willingly participating in the president's desperate attempt to overturn the election . That money was used to support Republican candidates with donations of up to $10,000 and, no doubt, generate the kind of goodwill and support that helped Wentworth become speaker in 2021. GCSI and its employees spent $6,898 on food and drink for Chatfield over his two years as speaker. Chatfield and Shirkey both opposed Whitmer's actions to use a government shutdown on business during COVID. Lee Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014. Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, who supported the casino project near his district, said there was a "sense of urgency" among lobbyists working for the Little River Band to get something done by the end of 2020 because they felt Chatfield was in support and he was departing the Legislature by the end of that year. I didnt know there was an option to report. Lee has not commented on the accusations, but his attorney Mary Chartier told The Bridge in a statement that both were consenting adults in the relationship. When the time came to raise big bucks in 2017, Anne Minard signed on as treasurer of the Wentworth Majority Fund Political Action Committee. Some lobbying firms even have fundraising facilities in their buildings that lawmakers can use to throw parties and raise dough. 182 talking about this. But it's a bit more understandable since they appear to be in the crosshairs of an epic investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing. Minard and her husband, Rob, have been in the news since January, when their roles as key aides to Chatfield emerged in the wake of accusations that Chatfield had sexually assaulted his sister-in-law. U14*- Born 2009, 2010 - Players must be at secondary school (Yr 9) to be eligible for selection. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan House of Representatives Speaker and Republican Lee Chatfield . Rebekah would allegedly stay at Lees home often, and she said the touching began as unwanted gropes in the basement stairwell, eventually progressing to sexual intercourse, she told Bridge. [1], Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014, after defeating a Republican incumbent, Frank Foster, in the primary election. In 2018, Orlene Hawks, wife of GCSI leader Mike Hawks, was on the arts center's board of directors. There are few independent directors as passionate and successful as Neil Chatfield. Lot 1318 Nowlan Street (Willow), Gisborne, Vic 3437. Most relevant. Elected in 2019, Chatfield represents the 67th district, which includes Tucumcari, New Mexico, Ute Lake State Park, and Clayton Lake State Park. In mid-February 2021, after leaving office, Chatfield was appointed as the new CEO of Southwest Michigan First, a privately funded economic development organization covering the seven counties of southwest Michigan (Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren). Anne Minard was the treasurer for four of Chatfield's political action committees. Get email updates for new Salesperson jobs in Chatfield, TX. Orlene Hawks was a member of the board at that time and resigned from it in 2019 after Whitmer appointed her director of the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. On one occasion two years ago, Rebekah said she and Aaron were visiting Lees officewhen he asked Aaron to go pick up a pizza. "They dont have the time to manage bringing other consultants on.. Her and her family, theyre working through it. A former Australian Schoolboys and Queensland Under 18 representative player, Howarth is in his second season in the Melbourne Storm's top 30 squad. Opinion: I'm a Michigan lawmaker. Rebekah acknowledged to the Bridge that at times it was she who initiated contact with Lee, but denied that it was consensual. Chatfield received a bachelor's degree from Northland International University, a Baptist college in Wisconsin, and a master's degree from Liberty University in Virginia. Rebekah tells a much different story. According to the News, the Attorney General investigator's affidavit said Chatfield asked his brother Aaron to buy Adderall for GCSI lobbyist Gary Owen. "GCSI advised the city they were representing a group trying to build a Muskegon casino," said Stephanie Washington, chief of staff to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, in a statement. [1] Legislators assuming the role of House Speaker in Michigan at age 30 or younger are as follows: Kinsley Bingham at age 29 in 1838, Alfred Hanscom at age 26 in 1845, Byron Stout at age 27 in 1857, Sullivan Cutcheon at age 29 in 1863, Daniel Markey at age 29 in 1887, William Tateum at age 30 in 1889, and Gilbert Currie at age 30 in 1913. Mark N. Clement. "When GCSI became available, they approached the tribe, and tribal leadership decided to add additionalhelp to the lobbying efforts," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Little River Band. By May 12, the Wentworth Majority Fund PAC and Wentworth Majority Fund 2 had replaced Anne Minard as treasurer with Kellie Rankey. Chatfield's brother Aaron reportedly told investigators that Lee Chatfield asked him to buy Adderall for a lobbyist buddy. GCSI and LaPorte didn't list the Little River Band among its clients on state reports, but did disclose Scofes and Associates as a client in 2020. Lee pressured her into unwanted sex in a separate room before his brother returned, she alleged. (. Michigan House of Representatives District 107 is represented by Neil Friske (R). I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life, she told Bridge. Daly also is president of a company called "Barton Re Ventures." For a decade, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians sought an off-reservation casino in Muskegon County, a project that supporters argued would generate an estimated $200 million a year in revenues for the tribe. Plea deals typically only reveal a portion of what law enforcement has learned during an investigation. Michigan State Police are investigating former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) after a woman filed a criminal complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her over 12 years, beginning when she was 14 or 15 years old, according to police and the complainant's attorney. He destroyed me, and has controlled my life since I was 15-16, the past 10-11 years, she said. In 2019 before GCSI began lobbying for the casino Chatfield told Ananich he opposed the project, Ananich told The News. In addition, according to the affidavit, Aaron Chatfield "acquired Adderall for the lobbyist Noel LaPorte one time." (Photo by Michigan House Republicans) She went to the immediate jurisdiction that she thought was appropriate, White said. Here's why. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. State Representative Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) said the House can't punish Chatfield. Thanks for contacting us. Mary Chartier, Chatfield's attorney, said the claims of rape are false and he is innocent. 2023 Representative Information. So we're left with the public record, which raises some serious questions that deserve answers. I didn't know there was an option to report," she said. 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