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Southfield City Council member indicted: William D. Lattimore
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Corruption by an elected official is once again dominating headlines in local newspapers in Michigan. This time, the headlines were the result of an indictment of a member of the Southfield City Council. The council member was................William D. Lattimore. Mr. Lattimore was indicted for one felony count of bribery and is accused of accepting $7500. The indictment is for alleged payoffs to help Zeidman's Jewelry & Loan move from a strip mall location on Southfield and 10 Mile, to its current location in a stand-alone area at Evergreen and 10 Mile. The new location is considered ideal and provided the expansion needed to meet the high amount of business that pawn shops incur during tough economic times.
Within the indictment by the U.S Attorneys office, claims were made that William D. Lattimore knowingly and corruptly accepted $7500, intending to be rewarded and influenced in connection with his official duties regarding a business, transaction, or series of transactions of the City of Southfield involving $5000 or more. The questionable transaction is alleged to have happened on or about August 1, 2007.
What's peculiar about the alleged bribe is that the vote to approve the proposed site plan approved by a 6-0 vote in May 2008. Keep in mind that an indictment is only a formal accusation that a person committed a criminal offense. The indictment does not state what the bribe was for or who gave the bribe to Mr. Lattimore. Keep an eye on this case, more details and information is still to follow.
For those who don't know William D. Lattimore, he was elected to the Southfield City Council in 2005, his current term in council ends in November 2009, he was a community activist for over the past twenty years, he once served as a union representative for two Teamster locals, he served as a top aide for a former Wayne County Prosecutor, and also served as an Executive Assistant for two Wayne County Executives. Mr. Lattimore was born in Detroit, went to Henry Ford High School (Class of 72), and later attended the University of Detroit until 1976.
William D. Lattimore is one of the seven members of the Southfield City Council. Like many councils, the duties included adopting the annual city budget, contracts, laws, ordinances, resolutions, approving purchases, zoning, planning request, granting permits, and establishing license terms.
When asked to comment on the indictment, Mr. Lattimore proclaimed, "I am declining all comment regarding this matter. Because charges have been levied against me. I can no longer speak on this issue".
The Mayor of Southfield, Brenda Lawrence, also issued a statement on the matter, "The indictment announced today by the U.S Attorneys office relates solely to the alleged conduct of an individual city official; therefore, it is inappropriate for the city to comment on this personal issue".
As the case proceeds through the criminal justice system, more details and specifics will emerge, and more may be indicted. Elected officials must conduct their day-to-day activities on behalf of the people with passion, character, integrity, passion, etc. If elected officials choose to do wrong, they must realize, that eventually it will "come to light".
For more information about Southfield's City Council, please visit www.cityofsouthfield.com
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