MARQUETTE — Former mayor of Marquette and active resident Jerry Irby sent the Community Action Alger-Marquette board a letter requesting the resignation of three board members.

Irby called out three board members for violating CAAM bylaws in a letter sent to the board last week.

“I called them out, those three, because they do not belong on the board,” Irby said. “There are bylaws that state specific ways they should serve — two three-year terms but they would have to take a year off (in between terms) and some of those that I’ve called out have been on the board eight years or more. … They should have taken a year off and they should not function at any capacity as a board member.”

One of the issues Irby has is the fact that persons sitting on the board illegally put the services CAAM offers in jeopardy. Some of these include Meals on Wheels, congregate dining sites, Early Head Start, the diaper bank and many housing programs that are critical for citizens in Marquette and Alger counties.

To find out how long each member has served, Irby analyzed CAAM’s 990 tax forms. He said he found these board members serving consecutive terms for anywhere from six to 10 years.

Irby has experience in local government. Over the years, he has been mayor of Marquette, served on the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging, the CAAM board and currently serves on the Marquette Board of Light and Power.

“… I’ve been an advocate of doing things right,” Irby said. “They need to immediately step down from the board as a result of the violation.”