Former Green Charter Township Supervisor Jim Chapman and Gotion Inc. Vice President of North American Manufacturing Chuck Thelen were prepared to pull out all the stops to squelch local opposition to the proposed Chinese Communist Party affiliated company’s electric vehicle battery plant outside Big Rapids.
The cache of documents related to the court case filed against by Gotion against GCT reveal the former supervisor and Gotion VP collaborating on maligning township residents opposed to the plant, calling them “skanks,” “assholes,” and “ignorant racists.” Thelen even went so far as to examine the documents of one critic’s contentious divorce, which The Midwesterner’s Kyle Olson reported on Tuesday.
Another strategy involved creating a blacklist of local businesses owned by Gotion critics.
Court documents reveal the two men’s text messages to one another prior to Chapman being recalled by GCT voters last November.
“U have been a great partner and becoming an even better friend,” reads a Sept. 18, 2023 text from Thelen to Chapman. On Sept. 14, Thelen told the supervisor, “You’re my hero,” after Chapman sent him a link to The Midwesterner’s livestream of a GCT public meeting. On Sept. 12, Thelen texted to Chapman: “R u coming to bar?”
The two men also targeted local businesses for boycotts if they expressed opposition to the manufacturing plant or support for the GCT recall position.
“If Zimmerman is one of the lumber bidders know that they signed the recall petitions,” Chapman texted Thelen on Aug. 18, 2023.
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The Zimmerman referred to is a lumber clearing business begun by John Zimmerman and currently operated by his son Fred Zimmerman.
This prompted Thelen to respond: “Is there a list of nogos that I can get to make sure they have no benefits from the project?” The term “nogos” means “No Gotion” in the community and is used to refer to companies to blacklist.
Chapman responded that a list of businesses for Gotion to boycott had already been compiled.
“Tracey and Mark Bloxsum should have one,” he said in one text, and added another: “If you’d rather I get it I will.” The Tracey referred to is presumably Democratic candidate Tracey Ruell, who is running for state representative for the 100th District and has been leading a local propaganda effort in favor of the project.
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On May 23, 2023, Chapman took a photo while he was driving and included this caption to Thelen, “I guess you don’t need GTW welding on your list of local companies.”
In a phone conversation with The Midwesterner, Gotion opponent Ormand Hook said, “Here’s something about the boycotting: We have never heard of the other side having a list. That text message is the first time we’ve ever heard of it.”
Hook added that Gotion opponents as individuals may have avoided businesses, but there was never a coordinated effort to boycott them.
“We focused on getting people out of office and getting better people in office,” he said. “That’s been our number one focus right from the beginning and we have not veered from that path.”