A recent report by Fox TV 6, exposed Michigan’s Grand Traverse County Commissioner Betsy Coffia as a “leader” of the Defund Bergman group that is targeting his corporate and individual donors in a bullying tactic.

Republican Congressman Jack Bergman is a 74-year-old retired United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General who represents Michigan’s 1st congressional district. The district is 63.42% rural and encompasses the entire Upper Peninsula as well as many lower Northern Michigan cities including Traverse City, Petoskey, Alpena and others – a population of over 697,000 people.

Bergman was elected to the U.S. House in the 2016 election with over 60% of the vote.

Coffia, is an elected County Commissioner in the Republican county of Grand Traverse and represents District 1, a democrat area in affluent downtown Traverse City and whose district also includes the Old Mission Peninsula. 

Coffia represents a population of about 12,500 constituents – probably the wealthiest people in the county with a combination of old money, new money, lots of businesses and at least 10 wineries on the Peninsula – all situated around the waterfront of Grand Traverse Bay. 

Coffia ran unsuccessfully three times in an attempt to represent District 104 in the Michigan House. She lost in 2014 and 2016 to Republican Larry Inman and in 2012 to Republican Wayne Schmidt.

Coffia’s new hobby seems to be to take leadership of the targeting of individuals and corporations who have donated to Representative Bergman through the Defund Bergman website. 

This new bullying tactic by the democrats is a way to “cancel” their political enemies by making their names and donations public as well as exposing any support for former President Trump. In an effort like this, innocent people get targeted in their homes and businesses. Their personal safety is at risk as well as their jobs and their livelihoods as workers or owners of businesses.

In an interview with Fox TV 6 out of Negaunee in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Coffia, who was identified as a Grand Traverse County Commissioner in the station’s chyron, says, “We are here to hold Jack Bergman accountable, to demand that he apologize and retract his lies. And we are here to urge his donors to withdraw their support from him and refuse to fund the big lie that he continues to spread.”

His crime? Even though he condemned the violence that happened on January 6th at the Capitol in very harsh words, he also had announced that he was pushing for a re-certification of the election results because of the “irregularities, discrepancies and usurpation of state election laws that demand an investigation into the 2020 election.”

The website to defund Bergman lists corporations and individuals who have donated to him in an attempt to target his donors for possible harassment. 

There is even blackmail listed at the end of the website which says “if you would like your name removed from this list, please email us with proof that you asked for a refund and a link to your public pledge never to donate to Jack Bergman again.”

This shows that the people behind the website put it up in an attempt to do harm by specifically targeting individuals and businesses.

An anonymous source involved in lower Northern Michigan politics and close to the Coffia situation has expressed concern over Coffia’s support and reported involvement with the Defund Bergman group while still being a sitting commissioner with Grand Traverse County. The source says, “It is deeply concerning that an elected Grand Traverse County Commissioner is actively encouraging the targeting of businesses and individuals that supported Congressman Bergman. Congressman Bergman was elected with over 60% of the vote in November 2020. This means that a large majority of voters in Grand Traverse County supported and voted for him. The effort to “defund” the Congressman is an attack on the First Amendment rights of all who support and voted for Congressman Bergman.”

The source continues, “As a County Commissioner, Commissioner Coffia is elected to represent all of her constituents regardless of their political affiliation. Yet, her support for this group, calls into question her ability to represent the majority of voters both in her district and in the County, who voted and supported Congressman Bergman.”

Recently, Coffia and a host of others were all aghast when Republican Commissioner Ron Clous flashed a gun during a virtual Grand Traverse County Commissioners meeting. There were calls for him to resign, one of the loudest coming from Coffia. She said that Clous should resign for “the good of the community and the county board’s reputation.”

She continued to say on her Betsy Coffia for Grand Traverse County Commissioner Dist.1 Facebook page, “Personal responsibility is required and none has been taken. We have essentially told the chair and vice chair they may do whatever the hell they want short of committing an actual crime and we as a board will look the other way and make excuses, no matter how much it damages our reputation, the reputation and morale of our 500 plus dedicated county staff and our community’s reputation.  A sad day for Grand Traverse County and no amount of religious gaslighting and excuse making changes that.”

She accused Clous of violating the county’s ethics policy but I think maybe she needs to take a look at it herself. It appears that she violated three different rules in the policy with her support of the Defund Bergman group and interview with Fox, identifying herself as a Grand Traverse County Commissioner.

Number 13 in the county’s ethics policy requires respect and fair treatment of all individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, culture, age, sex, disability or any other factor. Being of a different political party is definitely an “other factor” but Coffia feels free to rage against and target her own constituents who are supporters of Berman – while she is in office as a County Commissioner.

Then there’s number 14 which is harassment. It says that an employee or elected or appointment official shall not harass any other person. The Defund Bergman website exists to harass people and blackmail them into withdrawing their support for Bergman. It’s a bullying tactic. Coffia’s involvement with this group is definitely NOT in adherence to this policy.

And last, but not least, there is number 22 in the policy which says “an employee or elected or appointed official may express his/her personal views with respect to public issues. However, he or she shall not, by use of his or her position or otherwise, represent those personal opinions as those of the County.” By allowing Fox TV 6 to identify her as a Grand Traverse County Commissioner in her interview with them, she did exactly that.

There has been no pubic comment made yet by the other Commissioners on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners about how they intend to address the Coffia situation. 

Coffia should resign her position but democrats rarely take any personal responsibility for their own actions. The Board needs to censure her or take her off committees or do what they need to do because of her involvement in targeting Michigan residents for their political donations.

What Coffia is engaged in is not acceptable behavior in a civilized society, least of all in a lower Northern Michigan community where the residents are very supportive of their local businesses, police, veterans, non-profits, churches, and other institutions – and help out each other when needed, regardless of their political affiliation. 

Grand Traverse County and the 1st Congressional district does not need a partisan hack trying to pit people against each and someone who is involved in trying to destroy the lives and businesses of Michigan residents who are already experiencing difficulties due to the pandemic.

And as if her participation in the Defund Bergman movement wasn’t enough, Coffia went after Republicans and Trump supporters in a rant over the weekend after Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment. 

Embarrassing the county again on her official candidate page (not her personal Facebook page), Coffia posted, “Most than 100 Capitol police beaten, brutalized, crushed, bludgeoned, loss of eyes, fingers, life itself from MAGA domestic terrorists, called f@cking traitors (irony?) while protecting members of Congress from a coup attempt. My grandfather was a cop. And I can tell you that this, my friends, is hypocrisy in the extreme. Law and order? More like bullshit. You care about nothing but worship of Trump. Shame on you.”

She posted the comment comment above along with a racist story she shared that said that the lives of police don’t matter to white Trump supporters.

Does this sound like someone who will give fair and impartial treatment to her political “enemies” who serve with and work for the county? What about fair treatment for Republican-owned businesses or individuals that might come in front of her in a commissioner’s meeting? Does anyone really consider her to be a representative for her entire district when she has specific people in it that she spews hate towards?

I don’t think so.

Coffia needs to resign for the “good of the community,” a community which will no doubt be in a much better situation without someone who is trying to “cancel” her own constituents.