WARREN (WWJ) — Former Warren Mayor Jim Fouts has been fined $1,500 for using the city’s publicly funded cable TV channel to promote his preferred political candidates.
Officials with the city of Warren on Tuesday announced the Michigan Secretary of State approved a Conciliation Agreement with Fouts for violations of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA). Officials say Fouts misused the city’s channel, “Warren TV,” to promote his slate of candidates in the 2023 city elections during that year’s State of the City address.
The MCFA prohibits all government officials from using or authorizing the use of public funds or resources to further the election of a candidate. The Conciliation Agreement was provided to the Warren City Council’s attorney on May 13, 2023.
Fouts was ordered to reimburse the City of Warren $750, as well as an additional fine of $750 to the State of Michigan.
The Warren City Council authorized the complaint against Fouts following his annual State of the City at a banquet hall in June 2023. The event was attended by city employees, uniformed police and fire department personnel, select political candidates, and members of the public.
Fouts dedicated 12 minutes of the address announcing his election endorsements for the primary election, which was held on August 8, 2023, according to Tuesday’s press release from the city.
Officials say Fouts also “engaged in negative campaigning and ‘name calling’ against his election foes.”
The address was aired on TV Warren, funded by public dollars, and the presentation — which included slides featuring the political endorsements — was produced by the city’s communications department and displayed while he spoke, according to the city.
Officials said the address was replayed twice a day for nearly two weeks on the channel before it was removed from the airwaves. Only the cost of the video production, not “the two weeks of taxpayer-funded political advertising nor the misuse of communication department resources” was accounted for in the agreement, the press release said.
This was not the first time Fouts politicized the State of the City, resulting in fines from the Secretary of State. Back in 2018, the Secretary of State determined Fouts and Public Service Director Richard Sabaugh violated the MCFA when the 2016 State of the City “turned into a fundraiser for a Political Action Committee with connections to Fouts.”
In a Conciliation Agreement dated July 31, 2018, the Public Service Director paid a fine of $761.90 and the agreement was in effect for four years.
Secretary of State Legal Analyst James Biehl told the Warren City Council in an email dated May 13, 2023, “The City of Warren provided us with an estimated cost for the State of the City address of $3,919.66 and the department reviewed the video and assessed a penalty based on the time used by Mr. Fouts for political activities.”
Councilmember Jonathan Lafferty, according to the press release, said the estimate provided by the city was another violation of policy.
“Communications with the Secretary of State were withheld from councilmembers. No estimate was ever provided for Council to consider before the state entered into a settlement,” Lafferty said. “This was intentional. Fouts tried to keep this quiet so he could appear as if he did nothing wrong.”
Council Secretary Mindy Moore said, “These fines are not a deterrent to Jim Fouts. He is a repeat offender. We need tougher laws against politicians that misuse public resources.” Moore added, “I am disappointed that the Secretary of State did not seek more penalties. He gets to pay a fine and move on for something that has landed others in jail.”
Even though Fouts isn't in city politics anymore, he's not calling his career quits. He's running as a Democrat in the newly drawn 14th House district, which includes areas of Warren, Center Line, Madison Heights, and Hazel Park.