July hearing for ethics complaint against Prosecutor Peter Lucido, other complaint dismissed

The Macomb County Ethics Board will hold a hearing in July on one of two ethics complaints filed against Prosecutor Peter Lucido.

The other complaint was dismissed at a meeting Tuesday.

Former Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer of Clinton Township filed both complaints and also filed a separate complaint against Lucido with the state.

The county ethics board dismissed a complaint that alleged Lucido allowed a former Sterling Heights City Council candidate to use county property, buildings and offices to create photos for political campaign purposes. The board dismissed it because of a lack of evidence sufficient to warrant a formal hearing, according to the county's Corporation Counsel John Schapka in an email to the Free Press on Thursday.

Schapka wrote that the board voted to forward the second complaint, which alleged Lucido used county property, buildings and offices to create a photo of himself for political campaign purposes, to a formal hearing during the July public meeting.

Ethics Board Chairperson Dorie Vazquez-Nolan told the Free Press the meeting will be July 17. She recused herself from the complaints, citing a conflict, as she is executive director of Care House, the Macomb County Child Advocacy Center. She previously said she and Lucido's office work closely developing child abuse cases.

Lucido was the third elected county official to be investigated by the ethics board to determine whether he violated its ethics ordinance, Schapka previously said. If the board finds Lucido violated the county's ethics ordinance, he could be fined up to $500, Schapka previously said.

Lucido's attorney, Todd Perkins, released a statement Thursday indicating the Prosecutor's Office was pleased the ethics board dismissed an ethics complaint regarding photos used by Paul Manni without Lucido's knowledge.

In his complaint, Brewer alleged Lucido allowed Manni, the former Sterling Heights City Council candidate, to use county property to create photos for political campaign purposes. Lucido previously told the Free Press the allegations were untrue.

The statement from Perkins stated this was a "political attack" by Brewer and "an attempt to deflect from the progress the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has made in the last four years."

It ticked off more than a half-dozen accomplishments by the office, including being almost fully staffed despite a nationwide prosecutor shortage and being the first county prosecutor's office to request mental health assessments as a condition of bond or plea in gun cases to make mental health services available before a suspect gets a chance to commit another gun crime.

The statement did not address the complaint for which there will be an ethics board hearing next month. However, another statement from Perkins indicated he was "shocked and awed" that the board decided to proceed on the other matter involving Lucido sitting in his office prior to the start of his "watch" as prosecutor.

"It is unsettling when the law has been provided to the Board that the use of this photograph is permissible under Michigan law, and the Board does not dismiss this matter," Perkins wrote, later adding he will defend Lucido's position and the use of the photo that Lucido's daughter took. "And, we trust that the ends of justice will vindicate him."

Brewer wrote in a statement to the Free Press that the dismissal of the Manni complaint "was disappointing," but that he was pleased the board was moving forward with the complaint about a picture of Lucido in his office being used on his campaign website.

Brewer wrote he was going to hold Lucido accountable for what he called "serial violations" of various laws, including ethics and campaign finance.

Lucido, a Republican, is seeking reelection this year. Brewer has contributed to the campaign of Christina Hines, the Democrat running for county prosecutor against Lucido.

Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.

Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 1 ethics complaint dismissed against Macomb prosecutor, 2nd has hearing