PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The controversy over the residency of a member of the Portage City Council may be over, as Lisa Brayton announced she will not be running for Mayor and is stepping down from the council.
The city release a statement Wednesday morning saying they received a communication conveying her resignation from the Portage City Council. The communication stated in part, “At this time I am resigning my council seat effective immediately.”
Brayton’s resignation will officially be placed on the September 5 agenda for the council.
She confirmed earlier in the day to WWMT-TV that she is also dropping her bid for Mayor of Portage. She told the TV station she feels bullied and “dirty politics” have taken a toll on her health.
(Photo of Portage City Mayoral candidate Lisa Brayton provided by John McNeill)
The controversy began after Brayton certified her address as a home on East Shore Drive when she filed her paperwork to run for Mayor. The property is listed as a construction site, not a home.
Brayton said she is living elsewhere while her new home is being built after she and her husband tore down the old home on the property.
Michigan State Police are investigating the matter, but say any decision to charge Brayton would come from the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office.
County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said in a statement, “Candidate Brayton is being investigated for allegedly committing perjury by filing an Affidavit of Identity containing a false statement of her residence. This offense is a felony punishable by a maximum of a fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to five years and may result in disqualification from the ballot.”
Monday the Portage City Council gave Brayton until noon September 5 to give the city a sworn affidavit of places she lived and when she lived there since November 2021. Brayton did not attend Monday night’s special meeting.
