"Didn't you just have a baby?" That's what a South Lyon City Council member asked a candidate interviewing to fill an empty council seat.
The woman tells us she was appalled by the question.
The question was asked by Councilman Carl Richards to candidate Joyce Clohosey.
She responded, "My last child was born in January of 2016."
She says it was disgusting and disheartening that she was asked that question when interviewing for a council seat at a special meeting last week.
"Not sure what that has to do with this, but yeah," she said to Richards.
Richards explained in the meeting, "I think it's important for the council to knows that you are a mother that has an infant at home, okay."
Joyce spoke with 7 Action News about the questions.
"Totally does not pertain to the job," she explained. "They could have asked me 'how can your business degree help South Lyon? How can you science degree help South Lyon?'"
Deborah Gordon is an attorney specializing in employment discrimination.
"That's flat out wrong, inappropriate and illegal," Gordon said. "This woman was being challenged, essentially, that you've got a baby at home, wait a minute you can't do this part-time job."
City council ended last week's meeting selecting Stephen Kennedy to fill the empty seat
Councilman Richards also asked another city council candidate a question that some say is offensive.
He asked,"Do you live with your mother or are you married?"
Gordon says that's illegal too.
"In Michigan to make a decision about somebody being an employee for you based on his or her marital status is illegal," she said.
After last week's meeting, Clohosey addressed the issue at another city council meeting Monday night.
"I'm so disheartened the implications that having a child diminishes my ability to serve is degrading to all mom's."
Councilman Richards publicly apologized for his comment to Clohosey, but went on to justify his concerns about working mothers.
"Time constraints to my concept and purpose could occur if there was a newborn infant present in her life," he said at Monday's meeting.
Clohosey is also upset other council members did not stand up for her.
"No one lept to their feet to say this is totally inappropriate and has nothing to do with serving the city of South Lyon."
We reached out to Councilman Richards and the city attorney. We are waiting to hear back.
