LOWELL, Mich. — More than 100 people logged on to the Zoom meeting that served as the virtual home of Lowell's City Council meeting Monday night, and the most hotly contested issue was not one on the agenda.
Former police chief Steve Bukala resigned on June 4. He says he was forced to do so after a social media post following riots in Grand Rapids and a plan for four young men to open carry their guns in Lowell.
According to Bukala, the last line of the post read "The Lowell Police Department supports the Second Amendment and the armed citizens." He said City Manager Michael Burns knew about that line.
Of those who attended the meeting, more than two dozen spoke during public comment. Around half of them supported Bukala's resignation while the other half said he should get his job back. Another handful of people did not address Bukala directly but said that they support the Lowell Police Department.
Bukala's attorney Katherine Henry as part of a group of dozens of people in what appeared to be a tent. She says the group was in Lowell to show their support for Bukala. Henry read aloud a letter she had written to the council before the meeting.
"Every single public officer, council member, city manager, city attorney, etc. who was involved in punishing Chief Bukala for explicitly following his oath of office is him or herself violating that same oath of office they each took themselves," she said.
Henry threatened legal action against the city unless it agrees to keep Bukala on payroll through November 21.
Lowell resident Jim Mynard was another speaker who supported Bukala.
"My initial reaction was Steve Bukala shouldn't be fired. Period," he said.
"What I've heard so far does not change my opinion. He should get his job back. Full pay, full benefits. And the people that are involved in this coup to get rid of him? I'm totally disappointed in this."
Others, though, said that they supported Bukala's resignation and that his opinions on gun rights aren't the reason they feel that way.
"Second Amendment rights are not in question. Social media as a platform for the chief of police supporting a group of gun toting hooligans with Confederate flags during a time of great distress is the issue for Steve Bukala's decision making," said Patty Mogor of Lowell.
"This is not a Second Amendment issue. The city issued several pages of documents explaining their decision to ask the chief to resign. He has clearly abused his power in the past, and his resignation was long overdue," said Vergennes Township resident Lillian Peterson.
The public comment portion of the meeting lasted more than one hour. The council did not take further action regarding Bukala's employment.
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