OUR COMMUNITY

30 | NOVEMBER 25 • 2021 

I

n a political email sent to Birmingham 
residents prior to the Nov. 2 election, 
some say Commissioner Clinton 
Baller went too far with his words, 
bringing out antisemitic themes.
Now, the Anti-Defamation League, or 
ADL, has sent a complaint 
to Birmingham officials 
asking for Baller to issue 
a retraction and public 
apology. The international 
group, which works to 
stop the defamation of 
Jewish people through 
reducing antisemitism and other hate 
speech, has also called on the city to 
“take appropriate disciplinary action” in 
regards to Baller’s expressions.
The controversial email in question 
accused fellow city commissioner Brad 
Host of being a “marionette of the 
cabal,” says David Bloom, who ran as 
candidate for Birmingham Commission. 
It also claimed Host, who 
isn’t Jewish, was part of a 
political action committee 
supporting Baller’s opponents 
that was funded by Jewish 
Birmingham residents. 
In the same email, 
Baller hints that the Jewish 
residents used their wealth to influence 
the Nov. 2 election. “He said that two 
families pumped this money into my 
campaign and into Andrew Haig’s 
campaign,” Bloom explains. “He said that 
they were buying the ponies and we were 
going to be doing their bidding.”
Baller also hinted at a political agenda, 
Bloom continues. “He suggested that 
perhaps these families were donating to 
the political action committee that was 
backing us as well.”

COMMISSIONER 
BALLER’S RESPONSE
Following the complaint, the issue was 
referred to Birmingham’s Board of 
Ethics to review both the letter from the 
ADL and Baller’s email. Though Baller 
has not yet issued a formal apology, he 
responded with email blasts earlier this 
month defending his earlier email as 
purely political. 
In his email, Baller wrote that he 
doesn’t have “an antisemitic bone in his 
body,” sharing that his father and ex-wife 
were both of the Jewish faith. He also 
insinuated that the ADL’s complaint 
further proved a political agenda 
influenced by wealthy donors.
“The ADL letter is born out of 
a politically motivated desire to 
continue the pre-election deceptions, 
misinformation and fear-mongering of 
a political faction clawing for traction 
and relevance,” Baller wrote in the latest 
email blasts. 
Bloom says he’s been contacted by a 
myriad of people concerned about the 
antisemitic and offensive undertones of 
Baller’s comments. “I had people that 
were Christian contact me and think this 
was antisemitic,” he says.
This isn’t Baller’s first controversial 
move. His statements in previous 
elections against those he wanted to see 
out of the race led to the city’s Board of 
Ethics requiring him to add a disclaimer 
on his emails that states he’s expressing 
his own personal opinions, rather than 
official statements on behalf of the City 
Commission.
Bloom says Baller has an extensive 
email list of Birmingham residents that 
he believes numbers in the thousands, 
meaning his comments have high 
visibility in a community with a large 

Jewish population. While emails are sent 
out with a disclaimer that the words and 
statements are his opinion only, they 
come from Baller’s commissioner title, 
which adds to the controversy.
Though Baller’s actions have left some 
in the Jewish community upset and 
frustrated, Bloom says others continue to 
view the moves as entirely political.
“When you use the word cabal, 
when you say that a city commissioner 
is a marionette of a cabal and there’s 
wealthy Jewish financing involved … 
to me and to a lot of other people, it 
looks antisemitic,” Bloom explains, “but 
there are other people saying it’s [only] 
political.”
Michigan’s ADL chapter, however, 
argues that Baller’s statements qualify as 
antisemitic speech. “Using expressions 
like ‘willing marionette’ and ‘this cabal,’ 
as well as calling out members of the 
Jewish community accusing them of 
using wealth and ‘buying the ponies,’ 
are common anti-Jewish themes 
that promote hatred of the Jewish 
community,” said ADL Michigan regional 
director Carolyn Normandin in her 
complaint letter regarding 
Baller.
Yet for Bloom and others 
who believe Baller’s agenda 
played on antisemitic themes, 
it’s the combination of 
statements that made the 
messaging so upsetting.
“He created a cocktail by using the 
word cabal, buying the ponies and 
influencing people,” Bloom says. “There 
are some people who say that’s not 
antisemitic, but the Anti-Defamation 
League looked at that and they had a 
number of people who contacted them 
[about it].” 

Some say controversial email sent by Birmingham 
commissioner may have antisemitic themes; some 
say it’s “only political.”

ADL Issues Complaint

Commissioner 
Clinton Baller

David 
Bloom

Carolyn 
Normandin

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

