Months of rumors were confirmed on March 8 when a required legal ad buried in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus reported that the home of Chris Ward, R-Brighton Township, and his ex-wife is in foreclosure. However, it took the Detroit News to actually report the story that his Brighton Township home will be sold at auction next month.
These were just some of the rumors that were flying around during the last election season, but we chose not to talk about rumors. According to the Detroit News, the lawmaker and his ex-wife owe $158,292 on the home, worth $93,320, according to the county's assessed value.
The News reported Ward's 12-year marriage officially ended on Jan. 17, although court records show he moved out of the house in June 2005, filing for divorce five months later. It also reported the wife’s attorney said the lawmaker was responsible for the mortgage payments until the divorce was finalized.
"At that point foreclosure was imminent. A lot of payments had been missed. It was clear she certainly could not pay it and he was the bread winner," said attorney Marcia M. McClure of Bingham Farms.
This is being spun as a result of the high foreclosure rate in Michigan. However, that’s because many people have lost jobs or suffered a loss of work hours, lost overtime or took a cut in pay or commissions. As the Minority Floor Leader, Ward makes $91,650 annually, according to the Press & Argus’s annual Public Payroll feature, not including allowances for mileage and other expenses. Before being elected in 2002, Ward was the Brighton Township Clerk where he earned $45,500 a year.
11 comments:
Ah, yes. The party of "family values."
Bloomberg reported today that 2.2 million Americans are in risk of losing their homes this year, so you're right that this problem is not just limited to Michigan.
It's sad that this is happening to Mike Ward since it ruins his credit - and credibility about how well he can handle finances.
It's also ironic because he prides himself as a person who fights to limit government regulation and interference with business. We're now witnessing the results of free market wheeling and dealing within the mortgage industry. In their zeal for high-yielding mortgage bonds, the industry lowered their standards and used deceptive practices to push their loans on people eager to own a piece of the American dream. People don't want the government to regulate businesses to death, but they do expect the government to protect us from Wall Street con men.
Sorry, but I just had to make one more comment. Republicans love to promote their claim that our economy is expanding and unemployment rates are low. However, as the growing foreclosure problem indicates, those statistics don't translate into higher living standards for Americans. Add in the number of people without health insurance, record credit card debt, crushing school loans, etc., and the rosy picture they like to paint isn't too rosy.
I’m just having a hard time understanding how a person who is making more than $91,000 a year and the most money he has ever earned in his life cannot make a house payment. Many people make considerably less have no problem meeting the most basic of needs: a roof over their family’s head.
It's not implausible that after the divorce he couldn't make the house payments. A family would need two incomes to own a house in Brighton. If he's paying alimony and child support now after the divorce, then he's most likely up to his neck in bills. Of course it's fun to consider that he blew his $91k on crack, East Lansing whores and paying off dirty cops, but maybe you stinkin' liberal hippies should cut the guy some slack, eh? Republicans are people too, even if they are coked-up whoremongers.
Thanks for posting, Jerome. You would be right about Ward being up to his neck in bills if he were paying for two homes, but the official address he is listing is an apartment. Because of my military career, I have often had to maintain two households until my family and I could be reunited. I know living as a single guy until that happened, it didn’t cost a lot for my household. Just a three hots and a cot.
Maybe it’s just me, but $91,000 seems like a lot of money. I have no idea where or what he spent the $91,000 on, and I’m sure it wasn’t what you implied. However, it seems kind of obvious where and what he did not spend it on. It also appears the stinkin' liberal hippies are the party of family values.
hey kathy, the rest of the country is doing well, just not in our leaderless state of michigan. nice post cg... more politics of personal destruction. that is all your side has to offer. good luck with that!
This claim that Michigan is in a one state recession is just a big lie. There are problems with foreclosures all over our country why do all Republicans insist on using the big loser, Dick DeVos's talking points.
Come on you guys have no plans, no solutions and your entire party has lost all moral authority!
Chris Ward was just another big fake like all the rest.
It's scary to think that Ward might be making financial decisions that affect the State of Michigan when he can't even handle his own finances. Of course, maybe he let the house go on purpose and dumped it on the taxpayers. Not very responsible behavior from a member of the so-called party of responsibility.
“Politics of personal destruction?” are you serious? Since when is it “politics of personal destruction” to point out the inconstancies, mistakes, incompetence, immorality and hypocrisy of our alleged leaders?
I supported and worked for Ward’s opponent last fall. Some of this information was public record and knowledge during the election, and there were – and still are - lots of rumors. We used none of it.
This is despite the fact that Ward and his party have continually tried to pass themselves off as the party of family values. Ward pushed the "Marriage and Family Preservation Program" that was vetoed by the governor in 2004. You don’t see the hypocrisy there?
His opponent, Mike McGonegal, managed to put three kids through college, keep his more expensive home and he did it while being laid off and working as independent distributor making less money that he once did while actually talking to voters.
In a way I am not surprised. It is definitely nice to hear in a sick sort of way. Foreclosures and short sales are so common right now.
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