COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – After initially announcing his retirement earlier this year, then rescinding that retirement after controversy in the selection of his replacement, Branch County Veterans Services Officer Charles Scott has again decided to step down from the position he’s held since 2002.
This time his retirement will be effective February 28, 2025. The Branch County Veterans Board will be accepting applications through January 17.
Scott told the Branch County Board of Commissioners Tuesday he has been diagnosed with cancer, and he told the veterans board Wednesday he will be undergoing surgery next month.
The controversy over his replacement began the county Board of Commissioners interviewed three candidates in October and selected retired Air Force Sgt. Whitney Lewis for the job. The veterans board though voted to name Scott’s daughter, Jacqueline Yap, to replace him after interviews.
County Administrator Bud Norman then informed commissioners that a 1953 state law mandated that the veterans board, not the commission, make the selection. Later Yap informed Norman she would not accept the position because of what she described as “family harassment.”
Looks like Whitney Lewis was meant for the job.