Pontiac mayoral candidate convicted in election-fraud scheme faces challenge under Kwame-inspired ban - Detroit Metro Times

Pontiac Mayoral Candidate's Conviction Sparks Election Integrity Questioning Under Kwame-Inspired Ban.

A Wayne County Circuit Court emergency motion filed by local activist Marcus Kelley is challenging Pontiac mayoral candidate Michael McGuinness's eligibility to run for office, citing a 2010 Michigan constitutional amendment inspired by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's corruption scandal.

Kelley argues that McGuinness's past felony convictions bar him from seeking public office under the measure. The motion claims McGuinness served as chairman of the Oakland County Democratic Party during an election-fraud scheme in 2010, which resulted in his conviction on charges of uttering and publishing and perjury.

McGuinness was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to probation, community service, and a $1,000 fine. However, Kelley's motion cites that McGuinness's court records have since been sealed, raising questions about the candidate's eligibility for public office under the 2010 constitutional amendment.

Michigan voters approved the measure in November 2010 following public outrage over corruption scandals, including Kilpatrick's conviction and sentence. The amendment aimed to restore confidence in government and prevent disgraced officials from returning to power.

McGuinness is currently serving as president of the Pontiac City Council. If found ineligible, he would be required to step down or forgo his mayoral campaign.

Detroit attorney Todd Russell Perkins represents Kelley and emphasizes that this case raises important questions about public integrity and transparency.

Perkins notes that McGuinness's felony convictions were related to attempts to affect election outcomes, sparking concerns about the candidate's eligibility under the amendment.

omg i'm literally dying lol what a scandal!!! so like michael mcguiness was involved in some shady stuff back in 2010 and now he wants to be mayor? that's just wild... i mean i get it, people make mistakes but this is pretty serious and i gotta wonder if the courts are being too lenient with him. i don't know about his eligibility or whatever but i do know i don't want my mayors to have a history of doing messed up stuff like that in the first place... anyway, this case is super interesting and i'll def be keeping an eye on it - can you imagine the drama if he does end up getting kicked off the ticket?

[Image of a "Not My Problem" meme with a Pontiac mayoral candidate in the background ]

[Election integrity is a big deal, but don't we have enough problems already? ]

[A picture of Kwame Kilpatrick's infamous "I'm still king" selfie from 2008 ]

[Image of a person holding up a sign that says "Public Integrity Matters" with a red X marked through it ]

[Michael McGuinness's mugshot with a big fat " Felony Fails" stamp on it ]

[A screenshot of a news article about the Michigan constitutional amendment with a caption: "New rules, who dis? "]

[Election integrity is not just about McGuinness, it's about all of us ]

I'm loving how this is all unfolding in Pontiac right now... like remember when Kwame Kilpatrick was involved in a corruption scandal and Michigan voters just wanted to make sure that sort of thing wouldn't happen again? Now, we've got Michael McGuinness facing an emergency motion for his eligibility, and it's raising some serious questions about election integrity. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions, but if Kelley is right and McGuinness's records are sealed... how do we even verify this stuff? It just feels like a whole big mess, you know?

I'm tellin' ya, something fishy is goin' on here . First of all, how did McGuinness's court records get sealed? That's like somethin' outta a movie . And what's with Kelley's motivation? He's just gonna start questionin' anyone he doesn't like . I mean, come on, let the guy run his campaign and then we worry about election integrity later . This whole thing smells like a setup to me . And don't even get me started on the amendment itself ... it's just another way for them powers that be to control what people can and can't do . Mark my words, this is gonna end in a big mess .

omg u wont bliev wat's happnin in pontiac!! so theres this activist named marcus kelley who's all like "hey michael mcguinness cant b mayor cuz he's got a felony conviction" and now theres this whole thing goin on about whether or not he should be able to run 4 office. its all cuz of some old law from 2010 that was inspired by kwame kilpatrick's scandal back in the day. like, mcguinness was chair of the democratic party at the time but got busted 4 trying 2 rig elections lol. anywai, kelley's movin 4 the court 2 say he cant b mayor cuz his records r sealed now & thats not rite. its all super shady & i'm low-key worried about what it means 4 the election integrity

OMG, u guys, dis is wild! So Pontiac mayoral candidate Michael McGuinness has some major skeletons in his closet – literally! He got convicted for stuff like uttering and publishing and perjury back in 2011, but now a local activist is questioning whether he's eligible to run for office cuz of that. And it gets even more complicated when you find out his court records have been SEaled ... like what even? How can we be sure he's not trying to hide something?

And I'm not even gonna get into the whole Kwame Kilpatrick thing , but it's clear this 2010 Michigan constitutional amendment is still having major implications. I mean, shouldn't we be able to know if our elected officials have a history of messing with the system? It's like, transparency and all that...

I dont think its a bad idea for them to investigate McGuinnesss past but come on, 15 years is a looong time, you'd think those kinda records would be all but forgotten lol . Its not like he was involved in anything major, just some minor charges that got dropped and he paid his fine. I mean, how many people have felony convictions but still manage to do just fine? And whats with the sealed court records? That sounds fishy to me . Im all for transparency in government, but lets not jump to conclusions here . Maybe Kelley is just trying to stir up drama and get attention .

can't believe what's going on in Pontiac ... all these years later, a past conviction is still holding him back from running for office? seems like an easy way out of accountability ... voters have a right to know if their next mayor has a record of dishonesty ... would love to see the court records now that they're unsealed ... how many other officials are hiding skeletons in their closets?

This is so weird! Someone's trying to take away someone's chance at a mayoral seat just 'cause of some old felony stuff ? I mean, come on... 15 years have passed already and the guy's been out of trouble . It's like they're saying you can't hold onto your mistakes from 2010 ... What's next?!

Ugh, can we talk about how ridiculous it is that the activist just filed a last-minute emergency motion to stop McGuinness from running ? Like, come on, 2010 was like, forever ago... and now you're trying to mess with this guy's life over some tiny stuff. And what's with the Kwame-Kilpatrick connection, anyway? That dude was a total disaster for Detroit (and Michigan) . I mean, I get that we need people to be held accountable, but can't we just focus on the issues and not try to tear down someone's career over some old convictions? It's just so... politics-y

idk man, i'm like totally torn on this... michael mcguinness is a good dude and has been doing some cool stuff for pontiac, but at the same time, he did some stuff back in 2010 that kinda raises some red flags... i mean, felony convictions are serious, you know? it's not like he was just messing around or anything. but on the other hand, he got off with probation and a fine, which is pretty chill considering what he was accused of... and i feel bad for kelley for even questioning him like this, 'cause it's a total gray area... should we be looking at mcguinness's entire history or just the one time he got caught up in an election thing?

omg u guys wont believe wut happend in pontiac! therz this mayoral canddat michael mcguinness who's got a problem cuz he's got feloni convictions from like 10 yrs ago lol. apparently hes been chairperson of the oakland county demo party & was involved in some sketchy election stuff back in 2010 which led to him gettin convicted of utterin & publishin and perjury.

anyway, therz this activist named marcus kelley who's like "hey wait a minn, mcguinness cant be mayoral cuz hes not eligibl" bc theres this 2010 law that says feloni convicts cant hold public office if theyve got convictions related to election fraud.

i think its kinda fair tho. like, we dont wanna have ppl in power who r corrupt or somethin . but also, isnt it kinda harsh 2 strip someones rights cuz of a mistake from like 10 yrs ago?

Ugh , can't believe another local election is being held hostage by these old corruption scandals . Like seriously, a guy served some time for minor stuff and now he's got to be disqualified from running because of it? It just doesn't seem fair . And what's with the 2010 constitutional amendment anyway? Sounds like more like a knee-jerk reaction to Kilpatrick's whole ordeal . How are they gonna define "attempting to affect election outcomes" exactly? Is it voting for the wrong party now? It's just so confusing and frustrating .

This is getting crazy! I'm all for people serving time for their mistakes, but come on, a 15-year-old conviction doesn't mean they're not qualified to run for office now . And what's with the sealed court records? That just adds to the mystery and raises more questions than answers .

I get that voters want integrity in their government, but shouldn't we be focusing on whether McGuinness is fit to lead Pontiac today, not past mistakes from 2010? It feels like we're still trying to punish people for actions they took years ago . I'm rooting for the activist who's speaking out against this - let's get back to discussing what Michael McGuinness can actually do for Pontiac, not just his past record .

omg, can u beleev dis?! so michael mcguinness is runnin 4 pontiac mayor but theres this huge controversy goin on about his felony convictions... like, hes been sentenced to probation and community servis and all that, but now theres people questioning if he's even eligible 2 run bc of a law from 2010. its crazy bc the law was passed after kwame kilpatrick's scandal and now ppl r worried bout him havin election-fraud history. but at the same time, mcguinness has already completed his servis and paid his fine so... its like, wut r u doin?!

I'm like totally confused about this whole thing ... So, Michael McGuinness is running for mayor in Pontiac and some activist is saying he can't because of a past conviction? I remember when Kwame Kilpatrick was all over the news for his corruption scandal back in the day . But, isn't that like, from 2010 or something? Wouldn't his conviction have expired by now? And what's with the whole amendment thing? It seems kinda extreme to me... I mean, can't we just focus on the issues and let people vote based on their qualifications?

this is crazy, so what happens if he's found ineligible? Like, does he just step down or can someone else take his spot? also, why did his court records get sealed after all these years? That doesn't seem right...

I'm kinda worried about this whole situation ... I mean, I get it, corruption scandals are no joke and we need people like Kwame Kilpatrick held accountable. But at the same time, I don't want to see a legitimate candidate get ruined by a technicality . I've seen some shady stuff go down in politics and it's hard not to think that Kelley might be trying to take down McGuinness for his own reasons . And what's with the sealing of court records? That just adds fuel to the fire ... if McGuinness was really guilty, why hide that info from the public?

I'm like totally concerned about this election integrity thingy . I mean, if a mayoral candidate has felony convictions for trying to mess with election results, is that really something we want in public office? It's all about accountability and keeping our politicians on the up-and-up, you know? But at the same time, I'm not sure we should be singling out McGuinness just because his record is a little shady . What about all the other candidates with questionable pasts? Is that fair to them too? Shouldn't we focus on their actual qualifications and policies instead of dredging up old convictions? I guess this whole thing just shows how serious we need to be about ensuring public integrity in our elections – it's all about trust and transparency, right?