Letter to the editor: Questions about residency remain

Dear editor,
Has Tiffany Weber-Phillips really “lived” in Lake Orion since April 2006? I don’t know the answer to that question, but the Lake Orion Schools community deserves an answer. Why? Serious allegations were made that raise questions about Ms. Weber-Phillips honesty and integrity.
If the allegations are true, Ms. Weber-Phillips would not meet eligibility requirements to serve on the Lake Orion Board of Education and would be in violation of Michigan election law.
To be clear, the question is not where does Tiffany Weber-Phillips reside today, but has she resided in Lake Orion since her election in 2006?
In May, the school administration requested a residency check for the Weber-Phillips children.
An investigation conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff and Lake Orion Police departments found “at the time of the inspection (May 20, 2010), it appeared that the children were living at the Lake Orion address. We’re not saying anything about a year prior, or two years.”
So, all we really know is that on May 20, 2010 the Weber-Phillips children were residing the Lake Orion, but we still don’t know if the residency allegations are true or false. Members of the Lake Orion Board of Education have stated that “the school board has no authority to discipline or reprimand another trustee for these matters, it is up to a higher authority like the township” and “in their attorney’s opinion they have performed their due diligence on this issue.”
Since the Lake Orion Board of Education will not pursue an investigation into this matter, I contacted the Office of the Attorney General and plan to contact other local, county and state officials.
Someone needs to investigate these allegations. The Lake Orion Schools community deserves the truth ? it will either clear Ms. Weber-Phillips of false allegations or prove the allegations to be true. Let’s find out.
-Melissa A. Miller