When the Circles Overlap: Conflicts of interest in the Community!

Start connecting the dots around Greenville, and a pattern of overlapping relationships begins to emerge.

Dave Seppala serves on Greenville City Council, Rotary Club Sergeant-at-Arms and is also the Danish Festival treasurer. He is employed by Isabella Bank, which is a Danish Festival sponsor. The Rotary Club for what it's worth is directed by the Daily News general Manager Amber Rood, as she is the group's President. Keep that part in mind for what makes the newspaper and what doesn’t.

Seppala also briefly just served on the Greenville Public Schools Board of Education as treasurer, but resigned days later after questions were raised about the legality of his appointment. That history makes his current role as a City Council member and Danish Festival treasurer worth examining even more closely.

Jim Barrus serves on Greenville City Council, is the Danish Festival's City Liaison, and is employed by Dicastal, another major Danish Festival sponsor. He is currently having his road going under major repairs, though no reported favoritism has been proven, there are many roads that were up for an upgrade. Coincidently as he prepared for reelection, his road received the selection.

Then there is Greenville Mayor Jeff Scoby, who is a plant manager at Dicastal. His father, Lloyd Scoby, was previously on the Greenville City Council as well. Does nepotism appear to be a factor in Greenville and Montcalm politics? Lloyd is also on the Greenville Compensation Commission with the term ending in 2028, this is at the same time his son is Mayor. Same city manager has served both Scobys. 

None of these relationships automatically means anyone has done anything wrong. People can serve their communities while working for local businesses. But when elected officials, festival leadership, commission appointees and major corporate sponsors overlap this heavily, the public has a legitimate right to ask questions about conflicts of interest, disclosures and accountability.

The Dicastal connection deserves particular attention because the company, a Chinese-owned manufacturer, has previously been the subject of federal scrutiny, including an FBI raid. There are also records and FOIA matters that warrant further examination as we have previously reported allegations.

That brings up another question: What happens when matters involving a major local employer or people connected to that employer reach the legal system?

Greenville has a relationship with the Montcalm County Prosecutor for legal services. The City Council has a role in that relationship, while two Dicastal employees sit on the council and the mayor himself works for Dicastal. If a matter involving Dicastal or individuals connected to the company ever reaches the prosecutor's office, what safeguards are in place to prevent a conflict of interest? Add to this, the former county prosecutor sits on the Danish Festival board as well.
 

Then there are the Danish Festival's finances. I reviewed the festival's 2024 tax filing and found what appears to be discrepancy involving gaming revenue. The festival held a cornhole raffle, yet gaming revenue from that activity does not appear to be reported on the 2024 return. That does not automatically prove the festival improperly reported its taxes. There may be an explanation, and the underlying records should be reviewed before reaching a conclusion.

But it raises a simple question: If gaming revenue was generated through a cornhole raffle, where was that revenue reported? And when the festival treasurer is also a sitting City Council member, shouldn't that make financial transparency even more important?

This isn't about claiming the Danish Festival is corrupt. It isn't about saying Isabella Bank or Dicastal sponsorships are illegal. And it isn't about accusing individual council members of wrongdoing.

It's about following the relationships and following the money. When the same names appear in City Hall, the school board, the Danish Festival, major local corporations and the legal structure serving the city, Greenville residents have a right to ask whether proper disclosures, safeguards and accountability are in place.

Who oversees the money and who makes the decisions? And when conflicts arise, who is making sure the public's interests come first? These are accountability questions...and Greenville residents deserve answers.