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DEARBORN — City Clerk Kathy Buda, whose office was raided by the state police last month as a part of an embezzlement investigation, is retiring on Feb. 17.
Buda has been clerk since 1997. In 2013, she was elected to serve her fifth four-year term.
She said she made the decision because of the mounting stress of the job with the presidential elections coming up.
“January 16 marked my 21 years with the city,” she said. “I’m going to be 65 in May. It’s just time. I’ve been working for 50 years.”
State police raided the clerk’s office on Dec. 16 to serve a search warrant.
Buda said she has been considering retirement for almost a year, adding that she is not worried about speculations that her decision is linked to the investigation.
“People will respond the way that they do; I can’t control it,” she told The Arab American News.
Buda thanked residents and city employees who worked with her over the years.
According to Dearborn city attorney Debra Walling, deputy clerk Lola Isiminger will assume Buda’s responsibilities for the remainder of her term.
At a special briefing meeting on Tuesday night, city council members and Mayor Jack O’Reilly briefly discussed Buda’s resignation, with the legal department explaining how the vacancy will be filled.
City officials have largely avoided talking about the investigation, saying that all they know about the matter is from the media.
Councilman David Bazzy said he respects Buda’s choices and is not concerned with how her retirement will be perceived.
“I hope she’s exonerated when all the data comes free because I don’t like the message it would send if she’s not,” he said. “My goal is to sit back and watch and see what becomes of the case.”
Councilman Robert Abraham was less willing to share his thoughts on the issue.
“I am not going to comment on the investigation because I am not close to it. It’s run by the state’s attorney general, so I can’t speak to whether it’s good or bad. I don’t know about the investigation. I know there is one, but,” he told The Arab American News after the meeting, walking away before he finished his sentence.
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