Carolyn Muyskens|The Holland Sentinel

FENNVILLE A city commissioner who brought controversy and international media attention to Fennville due to his ties to a far-right organization called the Proud Boys is expected to leave public office early.

According to Fennville city administrator Amanda Morgan, MorganBolles hasnot submitted hisresignation,but he made the city commission aware Monday, Feb. 15, he wouldbe resigning from the commission sometimethis springdue to plans to move out of the city. City commissioners are required to live in the city limits to hold the office.

Bolles was appointed to the Fennville City Commission shortly after the November 2019 city elections in which he ran as a write-in but failed to win a seat to replace another commissioner who had resigned that same month.

In December that year, The Sentinel reported his apparent affiliation with the Proud Boys organization. Bolles was photographed at a Second Amendment rally in Lansing in September 2019 carrying a Michigan Proud Boys flag.

The Proud Boys, whichcalls itself a "Western chauvinist" drinking club for men, is known for its members' affinity for white nationalist views.

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The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled it a hate group, and Canada designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization earlier this month.The group also isbanned on Facebook and Instagram.

Proud Boys members have also been charged with conspiracy in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

When Bolles was seated on the city commission in December 2019, he defended the Proud Boys as an anti-racist, pro-freedom organization.

However, in a publicFacebook post in June 2020, Bolles said he was no longer affiliatedwith the group and had not been for "a long time."

"Also, to clarify I have had no connection with the Proud Boys in a long time and my interactions with them were minimal at best," Bolles wrote." [...]I cut any ties I had with them over lifestyle and idea differences."

The statement was in stark contrast to what Bolles said in December 2019 when he defended his affiliation with the group. During a city commission meeting,Bolles said the Proud Boys are anti-racist, promote entrepreneurship, are pro-freedom, limited government, and want to venerate the house wife."

... Thats not a demand that women stay at home, but the ones that do want to stay home, we should praise them for wanting to stay home take care of our children not going to a babysitter or anything like that, Bolles said.

The Fennville City Commission drew criticism for appointing Bolles, who was one of two candidates to apply for the position, but commissioners said they were unaware of the Proud Boys connection or of his criminal history, which included a misdemeanor assaultconviction and a traffic violation related to a crash in which he fell asleep at the wheel andkilled a Sentinel delivery driver.

Fennville City Commissioner Jim Hayden, who maintains a local blog on city issues, wrote ofBolles' announcement Monday. Hayden was among those who called for Bolles' resignation over his association with the Proud Boys.

However, he distanced himself from the council bearing responsibility for the situation, saying he was strongly against vetting applicants for the commission, and that it was themedia's role to vetBolles.

A message seeking comment from Bolles was not immediately returned.

Bolles' term on thecity commissionexpires in November.

The city commission will be tasked with appointing someone to fill the position. The appointmentprocess involves a call for applications, a brief interview of applicantsduringa commission meeting and a vote by the commission to appoint the new member.

It is against the citys charter to do background checks on people who apply to fill vacant commission seats, Fennville Mayor Tom Pantelleria said in 2019. Commissioners discussed potentially looking into the legality of conducting a vetting process for future appointees, but came to the general consensus that would put too much of a limit on who could serve.

Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.

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