Clawson Appoints Richard Scott to Fill City Council Vacancy
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 16, 2025)
Clawson, MI – At a special meeting on July 10, Clawson City Council voted to appoint Richard Scott to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Matt Binkowski in June when he announced he would be moving.
Scott is anticipated to serve until Nov. 17. The seat is among those on the ballot for the Nov 4 election.
Other applicants considered at the meeting were Alexander Aprile, Andrea Lalonde, and Lauren Mattar.
According to his application, Scott has lived in Clawson nearly 30 years and served on the Planning Commission. He worked as a foreman at a cabinet shop for 11 years before embarking on a career in IT, including being the Director of IT at the Detroit Institute of Arts for over 8 years. He also holds a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Walsh College in Troy.
Discussion over Scott’s appointment has been contentious both among council members and the public as Scott had been behind on a water bill to the city at the time of application, and the city charter requires that applicants not be in “default.”
Extensive discussion took place over the definition of “default” prior to the July 10 special meeting. Attorney Renis Nushaj clarified that a previous legal definition of “default” would be refusing to pay funds owed “with a corrupt intention.” He referenced a Michigan Municipal League document explaining that this definition comes from a 1935 (Depression Era) Michigan Attorney General opinion. However, there has been a more modern definition put forth by the Circuit Court that defines default as owing money. Clawson had relied on the previous definition in the past. Nushaj explained that based on current law, Scott had been in default at the time of application. But he also had the right to cure the situation, which he did. The City Clerk confirmed that Scott had paid the balance in full on July 7.
Mayor Paula Milan defended Scott, stating “I think it would be hard to prove someone’s malicious intent for something like that, and I think saying that someone has it is not necessarily kind either… Someone who wants to come and serve our community and do so for basically free and opens themselves up for the constant critique and wisdom of people who don’t have a concept of what we’re doing – for him to be willing to do that, I think he’s owed a little bit of grace.”
Mayor Pro Tem Sue Moffitt disagreed, stating “we have a responsibility to the public to have people sit on this dais to have people who understand basic adult responsibilities. Paying your obligations to the city is a basic adult responsibility, and the neglect of that can be constituted as willful neglect in my opinion.”
The definition was ultimately a moot point as Scott had paid his balance.
Moffitt was the only “no” vote for Scott’s appointment. Scott was sworn in on July 14 and served in his first meeting on July 15.
Learn more about the City of Clawson at https://www.cityofclawson.com
