KENT COUNTY, MI - Todd Grinage, president-elect of the Village of Caledonia, vowed Thursday, Nov. 10, to fight for his post while serving 60 days in jail for third-offense drunken driving.

Grinage, 53, stood in the lobby of the Kent County Jail and apologized for his mistakes.

He just wants to serve the town he has called home his entire life, he said.

"The people know who I am and what I'm about," he said, standing next to his attorney, Andrew Rodenhouse.

"My convictions for DUI have nothing to do with what I can do for the village."

The village may have other ideas.

An unidentified village official asked village attorney Mark Van Allsburg to suggest to Grinage that he resign. If that fails, the official wants Van Allsburg to ask Gov. Rick Snyder to remove Grinage from office, Rodenhouse said.

Todd Grinage

Van Allsburg could not immediately be reached.

Election law says: "The governor shall remove all village officers chosen by the electors of a village when the governor is satisfied from sufficient evidence submitted to the governor that the officer has been guilty of official misconduct, willful neglect of duty, extortion, or habitual drunkenness, or has been convicted of being drunk, or whenever it appears by a certified copy of the judgment of a court of record of this state that a village officer, after the officer's election or appointment, has been convicted of a felony."

Rodenhouse said that the drunken-driving offense alleges only that Grinage had a blood-alcohol level over 0.08 percent, which isn't enough to satisfy requirements to remove an elected official from office.

Rodenhouse said his client, who "cares deeply for the community," has no plans to quit.

Snyder has rejected efforts to remove elected officials for greater infractions, the attorney said.

Grinage was arrested June 11 at Cherry Valley Avenue SE and 84th Street. Grinage pleaded straight up to the charge, his attorney said. He said Kent County prosecutors don't accept plea deals for third-offense drunken driving, a five-year felony.

He was sentenced on Nov. 3, five days before the election.

A pre-sentence report compiled by a probation officer recommended a jail sentence of 30 days, but Kent County Circuit Judge Mark Trusock gave him 60 days.

Trusock, aware that Grinage was running for office, also rejected a request that Grinage start his jail term after the election.

Grinage is on work release.

On work days, he leaves jail in the morning, then has to return by 5:30 p.m. He had only a few minutes to talk Thursday before he was locked back up.

His attorney said he got help after his arrest. He goes to counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous.

"He stepped up like a man and took responsibility for his actions," Rodenhouse said.

He did not know how many voters knew about his client's legal problems. The word had gotten around, he said.

"At least some people were aware of it," he said.

Grinage had 371 votes to Danise Regan's 260. Both have been village trustees since 2010.

Rodenhouse said that Grinage would start his job as president on Jan. 1. He is expected to be released from jail on Dec. 20.