Holly Councilperson Chris Rankin Resigns, Says “Heart isn’t into it”
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 12, 2020)
Holly, MI – Village of Holly Councilperson Chris Rankin resigned at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting, stating “If I’m being 100% honest, my heart isn’t into it the way the residents deserve.”
He added that “with some of the rhetoric and harassment that’s coming my way, it’s a difficult decision,” referring to the tenor of neighborhood Facebook groups, and ongoing online bullying that has included slander and threats.
Rankin was appointed in 2012, then elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. When running for re-election in 2018, Rankin told Oakland County Times “My proudest achievement has been the parks, done a lot of good things with the parks, we’ve done cleanups, improved a lot of the 
equipment.” Rankin said Tuesday that he would continue to serve on the Parks Board, and he would continue to be involved in the community.
His resignation comes just three months after his wife Nicole Edwards-Rankin resigned from the Historic District Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals after some community members raised concerns of nepotism. The Village Attorney gave an opinion that she was not in violation of the charter, however she resigned after hearing of another situation where a person’s family member had decided not to accept a position due to the appearance of nepotism.
For both the Rankins, community involvement has been a core part of life, that is likely to 
continue. At the time of Nicole’s resignation, Chris told Oakland County Times about how they met.
“Nicole and I were both active in the community before we met. In fact, it’s how we met,” Chris said in February. “She was hosting a ‘meet the candidates’ as Chamber Director when I was running for Council in 2014. Our first joint effort was a cleanup of Alley Street, which then led to the joint effort at Crapo Park where we installed the flower boxes in front of the pavilion.
“We both love having a hand in improving the community, and we involve the boys whenever we can so that they will also learn to feel good about giving back.”
Fellow Council members were surprised by the announcement, and each expressed their well-wishes.
Per the Village Charter, the Council has 30 days to appoint someone to fill the vacancy, and that person would serve until the next election which is Nov. 3, 2020. The person elected would serve a partial term, ending in Nov. 2022.
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