The Michigan Supreme Court will not hear a case to determine if Warren Mayor Jim Fouts can serve another term, which could mean the end of Fouts' time as mayor
In a two-sentence order issued on Wednesday, the Supreme Court wrote "we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this court."
That means the lower Court of Appeals ruling stands, which would mean Fouts can't seek another term.
On April 21, the appeals court issued the ruling, saying the Warren city clerk is "hereby ordered to immediately disqualify Mayor Fouts as a candidate for mayor in 2023 and not place his name on the ballot for election."
The appeals court ruling reversed a Macomb County Circuit Court judge's decision in March that would have allowed Fouts to be on the ballot.
An amendment to the Warren city charter in 2020 limits all Warren elected officials — including the mayor — to just three terms in office. Fouts would have been seeking a fifth term.
The Warren City Council filed a lawsuit to challenge whether the mayor could be on the upcoming ballot.
According to the opinion issued by Judge Joseph Toia in March, the confusion on whether Fouts could run for re-election was "based on the fact that the 'any terms or years served prior to this amendment are included' language was included in the ballot's explanatory caption, but was not included in the 'Proposal' section on the ballot or in the amended Charter.'"
He went on to say that "there is no specific language in the Charter indicating that prior years served are counted towards the amended term limits" before ruling Fouts could seek reelection.
The Warren City Council appealed the decision, which led to the ruling issued by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Fouts won his first term as mayor in 2007.
7 Investigator Heather Catallo asked him, “Why are you ignoring what voters decided in 2020?”
He responded by saying, “I’m not ignoring what voters decided. To begin with, this was a targeted proposal. It never mentioned Jim Fouts, it never mentioned that this proposal would only affect the mayor of Warren or Jim Fouts. It did not mention that. It said it would make it fair. Well, I had five terms and the other had three terms, so that is not ignoring the voice of the people.
“I believe that I can help make life better for citizens of Warren.”
