Isabella County prosecutor Larry Burdick resigns, recommends Scully’s appointment

After serving more than 20 years as Isabella County’s prosecuting attorney, Larry Burdick has resigned.

But he’s not planning on taking it easy. Burdick is slated to begin his new career as an associate judge in the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court Sept. 17.

His resignation is effective Sept. 14. He was first elected as county prosecutor in 1988 and been re-elected for the position ever since.

“It’s been a privilege to serve the community through this position,” Burdick said.

His new position will be quite different, he said, as he is moving from the executive branch of local government to the judicial branch.

“(The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe) was kind enough to give me a few months to finish up my commitments here,” Burdick said.

Burdick’s main commitment is finishing out his term as President of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association of Michigan, which ended in August.

Burdick also had elections in mind when thinking about making a career change.

Now that his position is open, he’s hoping chief assistant prosecuting attorney Risa Scully will fill his position. Scully defeated Thomas Weiss for the Republican nomination in August and will run unopposed on the November ballot, and thus will be sworn in as Isabella County’s Prosecuting Attorney Jan. 1.

Scully earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice in 1993 and graduated from Cooley Law School in 1997.

“It’s the most logical decision,” he said. “She’s been my assistant for 15 years.”

But Burdick’s recommendation isn’t enough to promote Scully immediately. Isabella County Circuit Court judges are responsible for appointing someone to fill the position.

“My understanding is that they’re going to make the decision next week sometime,” Burdick said.