Muskegon Heights Mayor Bonnie McGlothin has forfeited her office after missing three consecutive regular council meetings without being excused, triggering an automatic removal under the city charter. A special meeting is expected Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to address the fallout. The move lands in the middle of an already turbulent stretch for the small Muskegon County city, which is short a permanent city manager and staring down a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.
Charter Rule Forces an Automatic Exit
According to WOODTV, City Charter Section 2.06 requires forfeiture of office when a council member or mayor misses three consecutive regular council meetings without being excused. McGlothin, who became mayor in 2023, is now out of the role under that provision. City Attorney Te Smith said the unexcused absences were first raised at a meeting in September, and the council subsequently sought guidance from the city attorney's office on how to interpret the statute.
To avoid any appearance of bias, Smith said outside legal counsel was brought in to review the matter, and that counsel determined McGlothin must forfeit the office, per Smith's account to the station.
A City Already Stretched Thin
The mayor's exit adds to a string of leadership gaps in Muskegon Heights. Police Chief Maurice Sain has been serving as acting city manager since a federal raid on city hall in late July, and officials have said they hope to select a full-time city manager before the end of the year, according to MLive. The same report notes the city council recently discussed raising Sain's monthly compensation for the acting role from $2,500 to $4,000.
The staffing churn comes as the city faces a projected deficit of $5.3 million, the outlet reported. State rules require Muskegon Heights to submit a deficit elimination plan by the end of the year in order to keep borrowing short-term funds in 2027, adding financial pressure to the leadership vacuum.
Pattern of Turnover at City Hall
The city manager's office has also seen upheaval. A divided city council voted 4-3 not to renew then-City Manager Troy Bell's contract, which was set to end Jan. 31, according to a separate WOODTV report. That same report found Muskegon Heights was lacking a finance manager, an assessor and a human resources department entirely.
Council dysfunction is not new to Muskegon Heights. Back in January 2023, the council failed to reach a quorum at a special meeting after council members Derrick Collins, Kellie Kitchen, Bonnie McGlothin and Andre Williams Jr. did not show up, MLive reported at the time. The same four had also skipped a special meeting days earlier that had been called by then-Mayor Walter Watt, who said the charter required the city to have a city manager in place.
