By Autumn Smith | FAFO Justice | Investigative Report <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sackrider Megasite proposal in Emmett Township has triggered one central issue that keeps getting louder: Who stands to gain\u2014and who is making the decisions? At the February 12, 2026 Township Board meeting, seen HERE<\/mark><\/strong> a member of the public put it plainly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlso remember, conflicts of interest is a thing\u2026 if any one of you own property that is going to be impacted\u2026 if you rent a billboard, if you represented a client, if you have a business, that can be construed as a conflict of interest so be very mindful of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That wasn\u2019t random commentary. That was a warning shot about how many different ways conflicts can show up\u2014direct, indirect, or just the appearance of them. And right now, Emmett Township has multiple areas under a microscope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Leonard \u2013 Realtor + Spousal Business = Double Exposure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Leonard isn\u2019t just a board member\u2014he\u2019s also in real estate, and so is his wife. Which means: Township decisions can move property values. Property values can move commissions. Commissions can move household income. Add in zoning, infrastructure, and megasite development decisions, and the line between public duty and private benefit starts looking thin fast.Even if everything is technically \u201clegal,\u201d the structure itself raises the obvious question: Who benefits when the market moves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dawn McMillon \u2013 Adjacent Property Ownership + Family in Clerk Role<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Owning land next to a major development is not a minor detail. It\u2019s the kind of detail that matters. Because it can mean: Big property value increases. Better access to utilities and roads. Higher resale or development potential. Or, on the flip side, negative impacts like traffic and disruption. And when a decision-maker owns that kind of property, the public doesn\u2019t have to \u201cassume\u201d anything\u2014they just have to look at incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add in a family member serving as township clerk, and now you\u2019ve got overlap between governance and administration inside the same household sphere.That\u2019s where perception becomes the problem even if intent is denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracy Myers \u2013 Family Land at Stake (Grandmother Ownership)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is straightforward: If a close family member owns acreage that could be affected by township decisions, then township actions can still create financial ripple effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That includes: Rezoning. Infrastructure expansion. Increased development pressure. Land value spikes.Even if it\u2019s \u201cjust a grandmother,\u201d the public doesn\u2019t separate family financial ecosystems that cleanly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question isn\u2019t complicated: Does the decision help or hurt family property value?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the answer can swing either way depending on policy, it belongs under scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim Juhnke \u2013 Zoning Board + Prior Legal Representation+Trustee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim Juhnke brings three issues into the same space:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior attorney-client relationships tied to property interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Current role on the Zoning Board of Appeals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Board of Trustees<\/p>\n\n\n\n That combination matters because zoning decisions are where land value is literally made or broken. Concerns include: Prior confidential knowledge. Past professional loyalty. Ongoing perception of bias. Direct involvement in land-use rulings affecting former clients. Voting and approving matters related to the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if nothing improper is happening, this is exactly the type of overlap that raises red flags in governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steven Titus \u2013 Billboard Business + Trustee + Planning Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is layered. Steven Titus has billboard business interests near development-impacted areas AND<\/strong> serves in two decision-making roles: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Township Trustee<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning Commission member<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means he is involved in decisions that can directly affect: Traffic patterns, Visibility and exposure, Road access & Development approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And those are not abstract policy items\u2014they are the exact variables that determine billboard revenue. So the question writes itself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When township decisions affect your business visibility, can you fully separate business from vote?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elliot Ure \u2013 Planning Commission Chair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Connected professionally as a client of an attorney tied to Sackrider-related interests<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sitting in a role that directly shapes development approvals<\/p>\n\n\n\n That overlap raises obvious concerns about independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Sackrider \u2013 Planning Commission Chair<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n FFS his last name tells on himself\u2026Family ties to Sackrider property interests. Connected to attorney representation within the same network of development stakeholders. When the planning authority overlaps with property ownership and family ties to the project, the system starts looking less like oversight and more like participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zoning + Planning Overlap Reality Check<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s the real issue underneath all of this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need one massive scandal for conflicts to matter. You just need: Property ownership near the project, Family land in the impact zone,Business tied to traffic or development,Prior legal representation, Roles across multiple decision boards,And financial exposure to outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stack that together and you don\u2019t get a single conflict. You get a conflict ecosystem. Nobody needs to prove corruption to raise questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because governance isn\u2019t just about what\u2019s legal\u2014it\u2019s about what can be trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And right now, the Sackrider Megasite discussion in Emmett Township is surrounded by enough overlapping financial interests, family connections, and dual roles that the public is going to keep asking the same thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who benefits when these votes are cast?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And more importantly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is watching the watchers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Autumn Smith | FAFO Justice | Investigative Report The Sackrider Megasite proposal in Emmett Township has triggered one central issue that keeps getting louder: Who stands to gain\u2014and who is making the decisions? At the February 12, 2026 Township Board meeting, seen HERE a member of the public put it plainly: \u201cAlso remember, conflicts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions\/340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fafojustice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n