Prison appears to be no barrier for Michigan county official who won another term

MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A county official in Michigan has taken the oath of office for another term, but face-to-face meetings with his constituents are unlikely.

Mark Brant, reelected Nov. 5 as a Monroe County commissioner, soon will be off to federal prison. The Republican said he has no plans to resign and will collect a roughly $15,000 salary.

“While I’m gone, my phone will be available,” Brant told the Detroit Free Press. “I have somebody who will be taking my messages. And my fellow board members have all volunteered to handle all of my constituents’ concerns that I won’t be able to handle.”

In September, Brant was sentenced to 18 months in prison, though his actual time in custody will be shorter. He pleaded guilty to allowing his land in southeastern Michigan to be used to grow marijuana for distribution across the border in Ohio.

“Mr. Brant is not a drug kingpin,” defense attorney Vincent Haisha said in a court filing. “His involvement in the marijuana business, and consequently his admitted crime, was merely a small factor of his professional life.”

Brant, a county commissioner since 2012, resigned on Oct. 1, a few weeks after he was sentenced. But his name remained on the Nov. 5 election ballot, and he got 91% of the vote for another four-year term.

“How can someone represent the people of Monroe County from a prison cell while not living in the area you are supposed to represent?” resident Bill LaVoy asked the Monroe News.