Muskegon County Clerk Karen Buie (D) accepted donations from several corporations, a local church, and a tribal casino, according to financial disclosures Buie filed for her candidate committee in July.

While some included in the disclosures dispute their donations, her Republican challenger in the 2024 election is highlighting the issue as an example of questionable leadership from the county’s top election official.

“It kind of shows how well she knows campaign finance, because she received the money when she wasn’t supposed to,” deputy Holton Township clerk Eric Rothoff told The Midwesterner. “We’ve had other election issues, as well.”

Michigan election law prohibits campaign donations from corporations, with the exception of contributions to independent expenditure political committees.

Buie’s itemized contributions schedule for her Committee to Keep Karen D. Buie lists a total of $10,150 in contributions for a reporting period that ended July 21.

They include Prenger and Co. Jewelers for $100, Fountain Funeral Home for $200, Christ Temple Church for $400, CW Ventures of Muskegon LLC for $800, Ivy Rehab for a $100 in-kind contribution, Gun Lake Casino for $100 in-kind, West Michigan Lake Hawks for $100 in-kind, and Laketown Family Dental for $100 in-kind.

Other contributions included in the Pre-Election Primary Report were lacking required information, such as addresses.

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Several of the in-kind contributions were attributed to a fundraiser at the Moss Ridge Golf Club in Ravenna on June 10.

“Her own campaign made these errors,” Rothoff said. “You cannot have any gifts for door prizes from corporations.”

“She has to return the money she received,” he said. “She needs to return all that.”

Buie did not return a request for comment left with her secretary on Thursday.

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Gayle Pollard-Griffin, director of the Fountain Funeral Home, did not want to discuss the business’ $200 contribution when contacted by The Midwesterner.

“I don’t know anything about that, have a good day,” she said before quickly hanging up the phone.

Rose Hunt, who oversees spending at Christ Temple Church in Muskegon Heights, denies that the church or any leaders made the $400 contribution to Buie listed in her disclosures.

“We have nothing in our database,” she said, noting church policies prohibit political donations.

Messages left with Gun Lake Casino and Ivy Rehab were not returned.

Rothoff filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of State detailing the alleged campaign finance violations on Oct. 6.

“Complaints are considered filed on the date the (Bureau of Elections) receives the submitted form and the evidence. Complaints must be submitted to the bureau and may not be accepted by county or local clerks,” according to the Michigan Department of State’s Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Complaint Guidebook.

“Upon the submission to the Department of the complaint, the Department will conduct a preliminary review to determine whether there is sufficient information to warrant an investigation or whether the complaint should be summarily dismissed.”

Buie has 15 days to respond to a notice of the complaint, but can request a 15-business day extension “upon a showing of good cause,” according to the guidebook.

Buie served as a Republican Muskegon County clerk when she was appointed in 2003. She was elected to a four-year term in 2004, before losing to Democrat Nancy Waters in the 2008 general election.

Waters held the position for 14 years, before retiring in April 2023.

Muskegon County’s five circuit court judges appointed Buie to serve out the remainder of Waters’ term that expires on Dec. 31, 2024. Buie is now running as a Democrat for a full four year term.

The questions about Buie’s campaign contributions follows controversy during the August primary involving issues with a lost thumb drive from Holton Township with the results of the election.

Buie and other Muskegon County election officials insisted Holton Township did not turn in the correct thumb drives, while Holton Township Clerk Malinda Pego suggested something else in a post to Facebook, WZZM reports.

“I turned in Holton Township election results last night accordingly,” Pego posted. “I got a phone call this morning telling me they have a problem with Holton Township. I go down there and discover the county lost Holtons results and tried to blame it on me.

“I was adamant I turned them in,” she wrote. “I was reluctant to leave and stayed and looked through the garbage and other stuff and I found them in a bin on the floor under some boxes. UNREAL!!!!”

The issue led to a heated Muskegon County committee meeting in August, when Buie and Elections Coordinator Lori Hayes denounced the allegations.

“I cannot and will not allow anyone to malign this office and question the integrity of the county clerk’s election office or my election staff,” Buie said. “It’s truly unfortunate that we are here today to address such a spurious and contrived group of allegations.”

Rothoff said he filed a complaint during the primary against a Republican candidate who accepted a contribution over the legal limit, and Buie “didn’t catch that problem either.”

“They’re not checking, I think, any of (the campaign finance reports) that are turned in,” he said.