**PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM IRMA**

TRUTH, ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY!

Multiple false allegations have been raised by my opponent Ms. Emily  Yahkind for Superior Township Supervisor.  I want you to know that these allegations are untrue and reflect desperate attempts to raise doubts in the minds of Superior Township voters. Please see "The Truth" below:

Allegation I: Residents of Superior Township have reported that Golden harassed them for having her opponent’s sign in their yards. And Golden returned to one home and illegally placed her own campaign sign on private property after dark.

The Truth:  I am honest, I support residents and I have integrity and have never placed a sign at a home where I was not given permission.  

Allegation II: Irma Golden engaged in “fraud, deceit, or dishonesty in practicing an occupation”; “incompetence”; and “direct or indirect misrepresenting of material facts” while working as a real estate broker.

The Truth:  My licenses are fully compliant and The Attorney General’s Office did not allege this.  In the State of Michigan, in addition to having a broker’s license it is also required to have an Associate Broker’s license. 

I worked closely with the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to ensure that I had all of the proper paperwork submitted. Small business owners file paperwork all the time and on occasion we may miss something.  That does not make us criminals, that makes us entrepreneurs trying to build a future for our families. Like many in my community, I didn’t have the financial resources to pay for an Attorney to complete my filings for me.  

I was a single mother trying to support my child, simply doing what I had to do to make sure that I could keep my bills paid and food on the table to take care of my family!  I was blessed to build a successful business and I am grateful that I have been able to support my family because of my additional real estate career.  Since addressing this I have been 100% compliant without fail. 

Allegation III: Golden has improperly coordinated her campaign with a "dark money PAC".  

The Truth: This is a totally unfounded allegation. I have worked hard and built my business.  I am very curious as to why anyone would think that I lacked the ability to support my own campaign prior to receiving donations.  Superior Township is not a large township and I am not running a county, state or national campaign that requires thousands of dollars in campaign funds. 

I have worked hard and have the financial resources and like many other candidates, including my opponent, I have the resources and have contributed personally to my campaign.  I live a modest life.  Both my home and vehicle are paid for and my gross income with Golden Real Estate more than surpassed that of the township Supervisor salary in recent years.

Allegation IV:  The Secretary of State's office has opened an investigation into Golden’s conduct. 

The Truth: The only reason for any investigation is because Mr. Schwartz filed this baseless complaint.

My direct supervisor is the current Supervisor Ken Schwartz.  Mr. Schwartz did not approve of my advertising on my car however, I did my due diligence and was assured that my vehicle is in full compliance with the Washtenaw County’s Elections Division. Otherwise, I would have never parked my car at the township since April, 2024.

On July 1, 2024 Mr. Schwartz filed a complaint with the Elections Commission, claiming that he had received complaints from residents and employees, however at no point has he EVER come to me to share a complaint, nor did he inform the Board of Trustees (BOT) of any complaints, yet he filed a complaint on behalf of the BOT without their knowledge until I shared with them at the July board meeting. 

Allegation V: Golden has frivolously sued and filed legal complaints against her employers, including the UAW, which she sued for discrimination. Her legal complaint was dismissed by both the federal government and federal court. 

The Truth: Absolutely, I filed a lawsuit, but it was NOT against the UAW, it was with against the National Training Center, a joint entity and was subsequently resolved outside of the court system. The reality is that not all court cases are resolved in the courtroom. Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to serving UAW-represented employees, management personnel, home buyers, and sellers. I have also focused on informing and training first-time home buyers and engaging with community members. Currently, I am committed to supporting the residents of Superior Charter Township. 

I maintain strong relationships with many of my former colleagues, including UAW International Representatives who testified on my behalf. My career has been driven by a passion for service and support across these diverse areas. This again is an attempt to deflect from what matters and to try to get in the ear of the many hard working UAW members that we have in our community.  

My opponent should have used that opportunity to share her vision for this community, but because she does not know the community, she can only attack me as her opponent.

Allegation VI: After failing to receive endorsements from key Township leaders and just months into her employment with Superior Township, Golden filed another legal complaint alleging discrimination. Her grievances include supposedly not being given “instructions to obtain business cards” by Township officials. This complaint shields her from proper accountability in the part-time job she uses as her campaign cornerstone.

The Truth: My endorsement page clearly shows that I have the endorsement of several township leaders. I never asked for Mr. Scwartz's endorsement.  It is also true that I filed a discrimination complaint against current Supervisor Ken Schwartz.  

I can only ask how Ms. Yahkind felt privileged to divulge any information regarding an ongoing HR investigation, one of which she should not have had any privilege to?  The only person that could have provided this to her is the current Supervisor, which corroborates his involvement in the slanderous text message from the “Friends of Emily Yahkind” 

This further supports my reasoning for filing the complaint against him.  Sadly the information he divulged for the text was far from accurate and not aligned with his discriminatory behavior towards me as an older,  black, female… His behavior is more than documented in writing, and can be heard on recordings and via witnesses that have seen his unethical treatment of myself and other minority employees that work for the township. It is the same treatment that forced the Board of Trustee to take action over a year ago to remove Mr. Schwartz's oversight and management of the Utilities and Maintenance Department.  All of this is public record and his actions can be both seen and heard on past township meeting recordings.

I dislike the vitriol that has surfaced in this race, but felt it important to set the record straight with our residents.  I look forward to wrapping up this campaign and serving as Supervisor for our community with integrity, transparency, accountability and commitment. 

My long-time involvement in our community is my reference.

Onward,
Irma Golden