Clawson seeking new council member after pledge controversy

CLAWSON — The city of Clawson is going to hold interviews to fill a vacancy on the City Council on April 23 following the resignation of Heather Rinkevich in March. 

Rinkevich left following criticisms from the public after she did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during the Feb. 17 and the March 3 City Council meetings.

“She began not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. … It went viral, and she received a plethora of emails to her, which were personal attacks,” Mayor Susan Moffitt said. “There were some threats of violence and threats of other horrible things towards her as a result of that.”

The city has closed the application process, which was due at noon on April 21, according to the city of Clawson website. 

The seat will need to be filled until the next regular city election on Nov. 2, 2027, “at which election a successor shall be elected for the unexpired term of the person whose office the vacancy occurs as stated in the Clawson Charter Sec.4.29,” a post on cityofclawson.com reads. 

Requirements to become a member of the City Council are as follows: A person must be a citizen of the United States, a registered elector in the city of Clawson, at least 21 years of age, a resident of the city of Clawson for at least one year, and not in default to the city. 

Moffitt said that following the application deadline, the City Council will have a special council meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 23. At that meeting, the council members will pick three candidates to interview. 

Interviews will be held at a special council meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 4, Moffitt said. The council will pick its next member at the regularly scheduled council meeting May 5. 

With the vacant seat, Moffitt is hoping that the council will find someone who is going to bring a new perspective. 

“I think that we have a good opportunity to find somebody. We deliberately made it two weeks for people to submit applications to fill the vacancy, and everyone on the council is trying to reach out and scour the community to see if we can pull some people that maybe haven’t considered participating in the City Council,” Moffitt said. “Maybe somebody who has not necessarily been engaged up until now, but loves the city and wants to help the city move forward. So, we are really taking this opportunity to find some great candidates that are willing to do the work and willing to advocate for the city.”

Moffitt said that at the March 3 City Council meeting during public comment, there were some supporters of Rinkevich not standing up, but “most” spoke against her decision to not stand for the pledge. 

“I believe that for her own safety, she decided to not continue to serve because of the content in the volume of threats against her,” Moffitt said. 

Rinkevich did not stand for the first time at the Feb. 17 meeting, and also did not stand at the March 3 meeting, which can be seen in the YouTube videos provided at the city of Clawson YouTube account, @ClawsonMichigan. 

“She did not stand up on Feb. 17, but I personally didn’t even notice it,” Moffitt said. “But it was on March 3 that people noticed that she did not stand up.”

The public spoke during the March 3 meeting about items not on the agenda, including Rinkevich not standing for the pledge. 

“Just a real quick comment; I am assuming, Miss Rinkevech, that your back’s bothered or your knees are bothering you because you boldly did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance today,” Karen Waddy, a resident of Clawson, said. “I worked all day. I ran around because it was my daughter’s birthday. I have two really bad knees and I fell on one and worked the other day, and I still stood up for my country and gave the pledge. If you don’t like this country for whatever reason, I don’t know why you are going to live here, because I think it was very rude that you did not stand up and say the pledge with everyone else.”

Michael Frink spoke in support of Rinkevich and her not standing. 

“I respect your First Amendment rights, your constitutional rights, to do as you please,” Frink said. “There is no legal requirement to stand for the pledge — never has been.”

Sean Nasrey also spoke in support of Rinkevich. 

“You can still love your country but you can disagree with what is going on with it,” Nasrey said. “So, I do appreciate you and I respect you and a lot of people don’t agree with what’s happening in our country, and it’s your right.”

Rinkevich addressed the city about her not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. 

“I come from a multigenerational family of military members, my husband is a disabled combat veteran and a first responder … so when I speak about the pledge or make the choices that I do, I do it with deep respect for what it represents and for those who have given their lives defending the freedoms they promise,” she said. “The reason I remain seated comes down to the final words of the pledge, ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ Words have meaning to me, and I cannot stand in affirmation of those words unless I believe we are fully living up to them.”

Rinkevich continued on saying that she cannot believe the words of the pledge given the state of the world right now. 

“Right now, our nation is experiencing division and loss. There are families who are grieving and communities who are wrestling with questions of justice and equality. In moments like this, patriotism is not blind agreement; patriotism is honesty,” she said. “Patriotism is accountability, and patriotism is the courage to say we can do better. The freedoms defended by our military include the freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. Those freedoms apply to everyone including elected officials.”

Rinkevich also said that whether she stands or sits during the pledge, her commitment to the community is still to uphold the Constitution and work toward a country that “truly delivers liberty and justice for all.”

“Patriotism is not about standing on command. Patriotism is about standing for principles,” she said. 

Moffitt said that it is her belief that generally everyone on the council respects Rinkevich’s right to free speech. 

“We respect her right to choose what she wants to say and what she doesn’t want to say. That is her freedom of speech rights. It’s unfortunate that it had some negative consequences for the city, especially now that we have to go through the upheaval of a vacant seat,” Moffitt said. “We all support Heather (Rinkevich). She’s a great advocate for the community, and I hope that once this particular thing passes, she reengages, because she has a lot to offer for the community and for the citizens. She cares about the city, and she has great ideas to help the community forward.”

The Review attempted to contact Rinkevich for further comment but was unsuccessful before press time.

For more information, visit cityofclawson.com.