Church officials asked to return reimbursed funds

By Sarah Cormier
C & G Staff Writer

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Political signs that hung from a tent at the annual St. Hubert Fall Festival the weekend of Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 created controversy among members of the Harrison Township Board of Trustees and caused the group to ask that the church pay back money the township originally refunded the entity.

The signs represented Township Supervisor Anthony Forlini; Candice Miller, state representative of 10th District; and Bryan Brandenburg, who is running for state representative in the 24th District, to name a few. Forlini said that the church allows anyone who pays for advertising to put a sign up, as a way for the church to garner revenue for the festival.

“Every year of this festival … they ask for advertisements from their parishioners,” said Forlini.

Members of the board stated, however, that the signs are a problem for two reasons. One, when representatives from St. Hubert came to the Harrison Township Zoning Board of Appeals meeting to request permission to put up tents for the festival, a member of the ZBA, James Senstock, made a motion that St. Hubert be refunded $600 — because the church is considered a charity — the amount the entity had to pay to be seen before the ZBA. The board approved Senstock’s motion.

However, at the Sept. 8 Harrison Township Board of Trustees meeting, members said that because Forlini had advertised at the festival, St. Hubert shouldn’t receive the $600 reimbursement. Finance Director Glenn Spencer said that there was a rule stating that “charity cannot engage in political activity,” when the township has given money to it.

Other board members also allege that political signs are not to be placed out in the public more than 45 days before the election, which would have also put the politicians in violation of an ordinance.

Senstock, who originally wanted to give St. Hubert a break, was actually the one who brought the political signage issue up to the board members.

“It’s political activity, it’s a violation and that’s appalling,” said Senstock. 

Board of Trustees members agreed. Trustee James Ulinski, who also acts as a ZBA liaison, said that he felt like he “had been lied to.”

“I know that I would not have supported the motion had that came up,” he said.

Trustee Robert Garvin said he wasn’t even sure why a discount would be given to St. Hubert to begin with, seeing as the entity is “tax exempt.”

However, Forlini, who is a member of St. Hubert, defended his actions and said that the board was picking on the charity.

“It was purely advertisement that they put up there … I put it up there,” he said.

Treasurer Darrin York and Clerk Jan Jorgensen sided with Forlini.

“It was a festival. There was tons of activity in the tent,” said Jorgensen, who felt that the event did not have a political air to it at all.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” said York.

The board voted 4-3 to have St. Hubert pay back the $600 to the township. York, Jorgensen and Forlini voted against the motion.

Sally Hilt, publicity chairperson for St. Hubert’s festival, said that “to keep the peace” the church will pay the $600 back. She did add, however, that at no point in time did church officials ask for a reimbursement of the fees from the township, stating that it was Senstock who first brought up the idea.

 “We did not request or ask for special treatment. Mr. Senstock … put it up for vote in regards to waiving it,” she said.

Hilt insists that no ordinances were broken and that having advertisements inside the festival tents has always happened. She added that the festival is a huge fundraiser for the church, which donates part of the money raised to local charities.

“I think the bottom line to most of us is it is the biggest fundraiser … and I don’t know why you would want to ruin something like that,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Cormier at scormier@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1095.