KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Most of Sand Lake's village leadership has resigned over the past five days, including Village President Mollie Doerr, as political turmoil over fire department funding and the potential dissolution of the village reached a breaking point.
Doerr sent her resignation letter to the village clerk's office on Monday morning, just hours before the board's scheduled meeting.
Doerr said threats to her safety, both at work and at home with her family, pushed her to resign.
"They've talked about my education, that I have no education. They've talked about storming my business, storming my house, setting my house on fire," Doerr said. She says multiple reports have been filed with the Kent County Sheriff's Office.
"I am trying to be in good spirits. It's an extremely sad situation. But I think that walking away and having some peace is what's right for myself and my family," Doerr said.
Doerr also addressed accusations surrounding the village budget and the decisions to terminate the fire services contract with the surrounding Nelson, Ensley and Pierson townships.
"I would just like people to know that there was never any maliciousness, there was never any money that was stolen, nobody was here to benefit off of the village, and that we certainly support the fire department. I mean, we wanted them, and we had examples of them having a half a million dollar budget, having a more conservative budget, and not putting money into equipment which is already old and aging isn't the answer," Doerr said.
When asked what she will look forward to now, she said, "peace."
"I've dedicated so much time to the village because I grew up here and I've worked here for 15 years, and everyone that knows me knows how hard I worked, so to be told that I'm taking advantage of the village is very disheartening," Doerr said.
Village scrambles to rebuild leadership
Monday night's board meeting lasted five minutes. The two remaining board members, Chris Stieg and Marcia Helton, had to adjourn without taking action and offered a statement saying there is much to be resolved before the end of the month.
"We are committing to working on behalf of village residents, and we'll focus on ensuring services continuing on service continuing without interruption," Stieg and Helton said.
The two remaining members are now in the process of accepting letters of intent to join the board and hope to appoint five new members, including a president, by Friday, the 27th.
Letters should be turned in to the Clerk by Wednesday, March 25th. On Friday, March 27th, at 7:00 pm, the Council will reconvene to review Letters of Intent and appoint up to five new members, including a Village President. At that same meeting, they will plan to chart a course forward for fire and medical emergency response services. On Monday, March 30, at 7:00 pm, the Council will hold a special meeting to approve a budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027.
If the Village is not disincorporated, a Village President and all Village Trustees will be elected on November 3rd, 2026.
Here is Steig's full statement:
There is no question that I have had disagreements with some of the decisions of the Village Council. It should be expected that members will disagree from time to time; this shows members are thinking independently. It's true we've disagreed on a pretty major issue.
However, one can disagree without being an enemy, and I never counted the members who have resigned as enemies. I thank Mollie, Kevin, Cherrie, Jack, and Kim for their service, and wish them well in all future endeavors.
I urge all residents of Sand Lake, as well as residents of the surrounding townships, to be gracious toward the former council members, as well as other Village employees.
Disagreements, even fundamental disagreements about essential issues, should never cross the line into personal attacks on them, their families, or their livelihoods. Please allow us to have a time of healing and put the conflict in the past.
I would also ask that you extend understanding as Marcia and I, along with new council members, navigate the transition ahead. While there is much to be resolved before the end of the month, we are committed to working on behalf of Village residents, and will focus on ensuring services continue without interruption. Please let us know of any questions or concerns you have, and we will provide as much transparency as we possibly can.
Thank you.
Chris Stieg
Fire department and township disputes unresolved
Doerr weighed in on the ongoing fire services dispute and the May ballot proposal to disincorporate the village, expressing mixed feelings about both.
On the fire department, Doerr said transferring to Nelson Township may be the safer path forward.
"If we're speaking about just that topic of the fire department, it would be safer for the village to be underneath Nelson Township and not just give all their assets away in hopes of having coverage for free for however long," Doerr said.
On the disincorporation vote, Doerr said she remains conflicted.
"I'm a bit undecided, because I know that you will lose services with it. You will lose, you know what the village puts towards extra patrols you won't see. ... I don't know what the future is, but there's going to be severe changes that I don't think that people realize. I think a lot of this has been based off of fear, fear because they reacted to being told that they would not have coverage," Doerr said.
SEE MORE: Firefighters force adjournment of Sand Lake meeting after board approves extension of fire services
Sand Lake firefighters signed a letter earlier this year saying they would not work for the fire department if Sand Lake retained ownership of it. I am told they feel better about continuing to work and move forward without the previous leadership, but that the letter is not off the table.
Nelson Township leadership has said they plan to revisit acquiring the fire department, despite Sand Lake's previous rejection of that proposal.
On that possibility, Doerr said, "I believe that the council members who are still on the board will do that, but I wouldn't want my name attached to that. Because I had three attorneys tell me to never sign that term sheet because of the way that it was structured."
All of these developments could be rendered moot if residents vote to disincorporate the village, which is on the ballot in May.
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