MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Muskegon County Commissioner Zach Lahring not only represents Muskegon County's fifth district, he's also chair of the Muskegon County Republican party.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, June 23, Lahring shared a photo of Muskegon County Commission Chair Bob Scolnik wearing a blond wig with commentary that included "who knew the little queer had a shoe fetish." A second photo included with Lahring's post shows Scolnik holding a bright pink high-heeled shoe.
When reached for comment Thursday, Scolnik told 13 ON YOUR SIDE he considers the post a form of "bullying" and "hate speech."
"He called me a little queer, which was hateful and just disturbing," said Scolnik. "We're county commissioners, we're elected and we're supposed to be responsible and respectful to each other. I've never not been respectful to him."
Scolnik says the photos were removed from his Facebook page without permission. He's filed a complaint with Facebook and informed Muskegon County Administrator Mark Eisenbarth about the harassment.
Scolnik says the photo of him wearing a wig was from a fundraising event supporting the Muskegon Civic Theater. The second photo was taken following the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant at which Scolnik was a judge and wanted to show his Facebook friends just how large the heels on one contestant's shoes were.
"If I put a picture up there he'll somehow take the picture and he'll steal it from my site," said Scolnik. "Then he'll twist it around to whatever he wants."
13 ON YOUR SIDE made multiple attempts to reach Lahring both on Wednesday and Thursday. Voice messages for comment were not returned.
Muskegon County has an anti-harassment policy for employees, but Lahring is an elected official. Muskegon County Administrator Mark Eisenbarth tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE the county's attorney is reviewing the county's anti-harassment policy and looking at state statues for possible remedies that could be applied to elected officials.
Scolnik says the board does have the power to bring a censure motions up for a vote when the commission meets next week on Tuesday.
"The problem with that is really there's no penalty for it, it's a slap on the wrist," said Scolnik. "It absolutely distracts from the work that we're doing."
Voters in Muskegon County's fifth district could recall Lahring. Staff in the County Clerks office say they've taken calls in recent days from individuals inquiring about the recall procedure but no one has taken the required initial step.
Scolnik and Lahring are both six-months into two-year terms on the county board.
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