Mayor Holly Anderson says Gardner repeatedly broke a charter rule on contacting employees. The emails in the packet show him passing along resident complaints.

SAUGATUCK — Saugatuck City Council will vote Monday on whether to formally censure Councilmember Russ Gardner. Mayor Holly Anderson accuses him of repeatedly contacting city staff directly, which the City Charter forbids.

The item is Resolution No. 261026-B, listed under New Business at the council's Oct. 26 meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 102 Butler St., and is also on Zoom.

What the mayor alleges

In a memo in the council packet, Anderson writes that the resolution responds to "repeated violations of Saugatuck's City Charter provision that prohibits Council members from giving orders to or dealing directly with City staff."

Section 4.9(c) of the charter says council members must deal with city officers and employees "solely through the manager," and may not "give orders to any such officer or employee, either publicly or privately."

The resolution lists seven instances between May 2025 and September 2026. It says City Attorney Jake Witte gave written guidance on the rule to the full council in May 2025. It also says Gardner was warned again by City Manager Ryan Cummins, by the attorney and by Anderson.

In a June 19, 2026 email included in the packet, Anderson told Gardner it was "at least the fourth time you have engaged in this conduct after being notified by the City Attorney that it is prohibited." She added: "if this happens again, I will have no choice but to bring the matter before the Council to discuss a censure resolution."

What set it off

According to the memo, the latest incident came Sept. 28. Gardner emailed Department of Public Works Director Mark Ondersma: "Are you available to go up to the top of Baldhead tomorrow morning?" He wanted to discuss electrical issues and feedback from a volunteer.

Anderson writes that she and Cummins met with Gardner on Oct. 1. She says Gardner "downplayed, but didn't deny, his desire to discuss electrical and other concerns" with Ondersma. After that, she says, she asked for the censure to be drafted, following talks with Cummins, Witte and Mayor Pro Tem Joe Clark.

What the emails say

The packet includes several of Gardner's emails to staff. Most pass along concerns from residents:

• June 2025: to the city manager, copying two staff members, about silt fencing at a construction site on Allegan Street.
• July 2025: about clay-colored water being pumped into the storm sewer. "Can you look into this please?"
• January 2026: to the zoning director, asking that the architect for the 640 Water St. development provide a 3D rendering. Council later approved that project unanimously.
• June 2026: to the zoning director, about a neighbor's fence partly on city property. "Can you please check into this for me and report back?"

The resolution says Gardner's conduct was "unfair, disrespectful, and unkind to City staff and the City Manager." It cites the charter, the oath of office, the council's rules of procedure and the city's ethics policy.

What a censure would do

A censure is a formal statement of disapproval. Under the resolution, it "shall be entered into the official record of the City and maintained as part of the public record." It would not remove Gardner from office or from any committee, and it would not limit his vote. The packet does not list who will move or second the resolution.

Background

Gardner was mayor in 1999 and 2000, according to city records, and returned to council in 2021. He was re-elected in November 2025, finishing third of five candidates. His term runs through 2027. He led the workgroup that got the Mt. Baldhead radar station listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, and he pushed for the city's 2025 ethics policy update.

This is the second censure Anderson has brought this year. In April, council voted 4-2 to censure Planning Commission vice chair CJ Bagierek for failing to disclose a short-term rental conflict. Gardner and Councilmember Sherry Muncey voted no.

Gardner and Anderson have clashed before. They've often been on opposite sides of the city's short-term rental debate, including Gardner's vote against the 2024 rental cap.

The resolution and exhibits are on pages 167–182 of the Oct. 26 council packet.

Cover photo: Saugatuck City Hall, 102 Butler St., where the City Council meets Monday, Oct. 26, to consider a resolution censuring Councilmember Russ Gardner over his emails to city staff. Photo: H-Town Native / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.