Dunnings seeks retirement benefits
LANSING - Stuart Dunnings III, who will end a two-decade career as Ingham County prosecutor next week while trying to stay out of prison himself, has applied for county retirement benefits.
It isn't clear how much Dunnings might receive. Jennifer Mausolf, spokeswoman for the Municipal Employees' Retirement System of Michigan, said the organization does not release personal information about retirees. County officials said they can't calculate what Dunnings will receive because he has several options through MERS that would affect his final payout.
But his benefits could be significant. His nearly 20 years as the county's elected prosecutor, coupled with his more than $132,000 annual salary — he's the county's highest-paid employee — would increase his benefits through the county's defined-benefit pension plan.
Taxpayers have chipped in different amounts over Dunnings' long career, but the county currently pays $2,829 a month for each elected official on the pension plan, said Travis Parsons, the county's human resources director.
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Dunnings has paid different amounts over the years, also, but is currently paying 9.66% of his salary, Parsons said.
Dunnings is not entitled to payouts for any unused vacation time or other severance because he is an elected official, county Controller/Administrator Tim Dolehanty said.
After winning five elections by wide margins, Dunnings will resign July 2 as he faces a total of 15 prostitution-related crimes in three counties, including a 20-year felony for allegedly coercing a woman who was not a prostitute to let him pay her for sex.
Dunnings' wife filed for divorce after the prosecutor's March 14 arrest. Depending on the final terms of the divorce, she could be entitled to a share of his pension.
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In all three counties, Dunnings is still awaiting preliminary examinations to determine if Attorney General Bill Schuette has enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.
Neither Dunnings nor his attorneys have publicly commented since his arraignment in March. Vincent Toussaint, a Detroit attorney hired by Dunnings, declined on Tuesday to comment for this story.
Former legislator Gretchen Whitmer was appointed by county judges to serve the remainder of Dunnings' term, which ends Dec. 31. Six candidates are competing to succeed Dunnings as the elected prosecutor for a four-year term starting Jan. 1.
Contact Justin A. Hinkley at (517) 377-1195 or jhinkley@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley. Sign up for his email newsletter, SoM Weekly, at on.lsj.com/somsignup.