Mount Pleasant City Officials meet with SGA
The City Commissioner Liaison for Central Michigan University Student Government Association Maggie Bauer (left) ask Mount Pleasant Commissioners Amy Pershbacher, John Zang and City Manger Aaron Desentz speak in front of SGA members during their meeting at the Bovee Unviersity Center on April 21, 2025. (CM Life | Blace Carpenter)
Mount Pleasant City Commissioners Amy Pershbacher and John Zang, as well as City Manager Aaron Desentz, spoke with the Central Michigan University Student Government Association about their positions and goals for the city.
The city officials took on questions by SGA’s City Student Liaison Maggie Bauer and other students throughout the meeting.
In their first question, the commissioners and city manager were asked what they do for the city. Desentz said that his position is what most people think a mayor does.
“As a city manager, I oversee operations of the city,” he said. “I supervise different divisions and departments. This is everything from the public works department, which takes care of the streets, to the police department. All of the internal departments you have in the city.”
The commissioners explained that they serve as the voice of the people.
“My role as a city commissioner is to basically be a liaison between the residents and the city,” Pershbacher said. “Whether it’s Monday afternoon or Sunday evening, if somebody reaches out to me, I’m always willing to talk to them.”
The three shared some of the recent accomplishments the city has made such as the city’s Climate Change Preparedness Plan and their use of the software Placer AI, which tracks people's foot traffic.
“I can’t get any kind of information about individuals off it, but what we can do is understand where consumers are going within the state,” Desentz said. “We’re trying to figure out where people are spending a lot of their time.”
When asked about their goals for the city, the city officials all had different answers.
Desentz said he wants to bring a big employer to the city. He mentioned the city could benefit from a company like Gotion Inc., which is a battery plant that was going to be established in Green Charter Township.
The plan could bring thousands of jobs to the area, but has been met with controversy due to it being owned by a Chinese company.
“I really do think that the city could stand to bring in a significant manufacturer,” he said. “Green (Charter) Township … has attracted a battery manufacturer. I know there’s a lot of politics involved in that, but regardless of what it is, it's ultimately 2,000 jobs.”
Perschbacher said she wants to focus on the city’s Mission Street Improvement Plan
“We want it to be ‘Let's slow down, let's see the business there, let's bring more into the area,'” she said.
SGA Justices release case verdicts
The SGA Supreme Court reached a verdict for the three cases regarding the two presidential tickets and the election committee for this year’s election.
In the case of Acheampong and House v. Elections Committee, the justices ruled in favor of President-elect Akua Acheampong and Vice President-elect Kathryn House, who filed against the committee on claims of inconsistent enforcement of campaign rules.
“The Committee’s failure to escalate campaign violations to the Judicial Branch—as required under Article V, Section 7, Item j—alongside inconsistent communication and ambiguous enforcement decisions, contributed to a disorganized and inequitable election process,” Chief Justice Madison Coleman wrote.
Coleman asked that the committee make several changes to their procedures, such as “Comprehensive Committee Training,” “Centralized and Consistent Communication,” and more.
“I would say they did their jobs and every party did their jobs and the outcome was the outcome,” Elections Director Praise Oyimi said in response to the ruling.
The Justices also ruled in favor of Acheampong and House in both cases involving outgoing President Carolina Hernandez Ruiz.
In the first case between them, the Acheampong/House ticket filed against Hernandez Ruiz and her running mate Aashka Barot, claiming that they had violated campaign rules by campaigning at residence and dining halls across campus.
“The Supreme Court finds sufficient evidence that the defendants campaigned in CMU dining halls, a clearly prohibited location according to the Elections Packet,” the Justices wrote. “Multiple eyewitness testimonies confirmed this activity.”
They also stated Hernandez Ruiz’s ticket had an unfair advantage over Acheampong and House by campaigning in unauthorized areas. In their verdict, they reduced the voter count Hernadez Ruiz and Barot received.
“Each minor infraction will result in a 7% reduction in the ticket’s final vote total, for a cumulative 14% reduction,” Coleman wrote.
Hernandez Ruiz said she believes this ruling was undemocratic.
“Saying that your vote doesn’t count, I don’t think that is the right message we want to say through SGA,” she said.
In Hernandez Ruiz’s case against the Acheampong/House ticket, the justices ruled in favor of Acheampong and House again. Hernadez Ruiz claimed that the ticket had engaged in harassing behavior towards her during the campaign.
The Justices said they didn’t find sufficient evidence for her claim.
“The Judicial Branch finds no evidence that the defendants (the Acheampong/House ticket) engaged in harassing or intimidating behavior,” Coleman wrote. “The individuals mentioned in this allegation were not part of the campaign ticket and explicitly stated they were acting on their own behalf.”
Hernandez Ruiz stated that the ticket had also violated campaign rules by posting campaign flyers in Grawn Hall, which is a flyer-free building.
The Justice said there was no evidence.
“The court finds no evidence that the defendants engaged in unauthorized campaigning,” Coleman wrote. “The plaintiff did not provide proof identifying who posted the flyer in question, and a memo from Grawn indicates no policy violation.”
Acheampong and House both stated that they are glad these cases are over and that they are ready to move forward.
“Coming in as a candidate, I didn’t wish for there to be any kind of turmoil,” Acheampong said. “A public display of that as well.”
In other news
- The SGA House of Representatives passed legislation that would indicate if course materials were below or above $50 when signing up for a class. The legislation passed with 91% of the House in favor.
- On April 28, Acheampong, House and other leaders will be sworn into their positions for the 2025-26 academic year during the SGA Inauguration. The ceremony will be held at the Opperman Auditorium in the Charles V. Park Library at 7 p.m.
