Murray 'changes mind,' joins city council

Joy Murray changed her mind about taking a seat on the Davison City Council. She was sworn in at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, and she will sit with the council at their Monday, Nov. 27 workshop.

Murray publicly announced both before and after the Tuesday, Nov. 7 election that she would not take her seat because she didn’t want to push the issue of nepotism.

"I’m not playing some kind of game," she said Monday. "I received letters and phone calls from some people asking me to reconsider. It was overwhelming to get that kind of support.

"I’ve been thinking a lot about how much being on the city council means to me and the support of the voters wanting me there."

Murray hopes taking her seat will not cause any conflicts. Some members of the city council had questioned nepotism after Murray submitted her petition to run for council several months ago, because she is the wife of incumbent Councilman Kevin McKague.

After Murray announced her intention not to take the seat, the council did not act on the question.

The city has an ordinance prohibiting the employment of relatives of elected or appointed officials unless specifically approved by the council.

Mayor Fred Rappuhn recently told The Davison Index he didn’t think nepotism was a problem.

"I’m looking forward to taking my spot on the council," Murray said.

McKague said in an e-mail to The Davison Index he is proud of his wife.

"I am sure she will do a fantastic job of representing Davison," McKague said.

Murray is a 1984 Davison High School graduate and has lived in the city for 30 years.

Having a woman’s voice on the city council was one of the reasons she decided to run.

Murray also is involved with the Ruth M. Mott Foundation in Flint and says she has knowledge of what a city needs.