NewsLocal NewsIn Your NeighborhoodMason - Leslie - Dansville - Stockbridge

Actions

The Ingham County clerk's job is to police campaign finance reports, but hers have wrong information

Barb Byrum January 2022 Campaign Finance Report
The Ingham County clerk's job is to police campaign finance reports, but hers have wrong information
Posted
and last updated

MASON, Mich. — Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum's responsibilities include oversight of county records to ensure that all reported information is correct.

But Byrum herself appears to be reporting incorrect information on her campaign finance reports.

Elizabeth Noel, the treasurer for Byrum's campaign, has a Lansing address listed on Byrum's January campaign finance report, but the west side home she lists was purchased by someone else in March of 2021.

Noel cut off her Lansing Board of Water and Light service the same month and the current resident of the home says Noel hasn't lived there since.

Noel, who also works in Byrum's office, according to her Linkedin page, is the co-owner of a home in Auburn, Alabama. And, while FOX 47 couldn't verify where she's now living, if she's there, it could be a problem.

"Under Michigan campaign finance law, candidates are required to have a treasurer that lives within the state of Michigan," said Simon Schuster, executive director of Michigan Campaign Finance Network. "That said, if they move, and the treasurer has to change, they can notify that public official that they've moved, and then generally that candidate would have to say that, 'Until I get a new treasurer, I become the treasurer of my committee.'"

Byrum did not respond to several attempts to contact her on Thursday and Friday, including a visit to her office and messages left with her staff.

"All in all, it's a relatively small deal," Schuster said. "But I think it helps to underscore a really big problem which is that there are not a lot of people that are keeping close tabs on our local campaign finance."

Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.

Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.

Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.

Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook