OK, for what it’s worth: My County Board picks
Just as I did in the prosecutor’s race, I held my tongue (for the most part) about who I support in the races for seats on the Barry County Board of Commissioners until after the July 6 forum. Now that I’ve had a chance to examine the candidates’ answers and other pertinent information, I hereby submit my choices in the Aug. 8 GOP primary:
1. and 2. The First and Second Districts have no primary election races for Don Nevins and Jim French, respectively. No comment.
3. The Third District. This is the contest to succeed the retiring Sandra James. Keith Ferris doesn’t sound like that bad a guy, but I have serious reservations and suspicions he’s a follower of James and the failed leadership of the current board. Ken DeMott is an outsider, not well spoken, but he’s no dummy, he was a sheriff’s detective for 29 years. I give the edge to DeMott because I think he’ll bring a fresh perspective. Ferris is too well connected and part of the old gang. Ken DeMott.
4. The Fourth District. Hoot Gibson has no primary opposition, but he’ll trample perennial loser and Democrat John Loftus in the general election in November. At least we’d better hope so. Hoot Gibson.
5. The Fifth District. Mike Callton had been a fresh breeze on the County Board, a well-spoken and thoughtful public servant. My only beef with him is his traitorous, unprincipled and self-serving support of Brian Calley in the 87th District State Rep. contest. But Callton’s a mostly terrific commissioner and he’s likely the best choice to be the next chairman of the board. Mark Noteboom has made it somewhat of a contest this time after his debacle in 2004, perhaps because of the coaching of King James Bailey, who apparently wants Callton to pay for not supporting him for State Rep. However, Noteboom has been relegated during the campaign to a lot of embarrassing “me too” positions on the issues, which gives voters no reason to make a change here. Michael Callton.
6. The Sixth District. It’s past time to give Clare Tripp the boot. She is the latest of a sorry lot of chairs of the Barry County Board, which has been woefully lacking since Ted McKelvey stepped down in 1992. Orvin Moore started the 14 consecutive years of poor leadership, followed by King James Bailey for six years, Jeff MacKenzie for four more, with Tripp bringing up the rear. This County Board needs big-time change, and this is the seat that needs it most. I have no use for Ms. Tripp’s lack of character, lack of candor, closed-minded policy making, secretive tendencies and general incompetence. She has been listed at four different addresses for where she lives in the last three years and her answers to questions why are defensive and should raise red flags about what kind of person she really is. I agree Mark Englerth is abrasive, arrogant and testy, but we’re not electing student council president here. It’s time to replace nice, insincere and incompetent with nasty, efficient and capable. Mark Englerth.
7. The Seventh District. In the words of my good friend “The Agitator,” this indeed is “a no-brainer.” Incumbent Tom Wing has worn out his welcome in public service very simply because he doesn’t take it seriously enough to show up or be on time. In the world of work, if any of us had his track record with nearly one-third absences or tardies, we would have been fired from our jobs long ago. His excuses are as lame as his attendance record. If he’s too busy with his farm and his wife’s health problems, then he should have done us all a favor and not sought re-election. Does he really think voters are that stupid? Jeff VanNortwick should win this by default. Thank goodness he’s intelligent and well spoken and has as much passion and enthusiasm as voters could hope for in their representative on the county board. His passion against corporate farms comes from his personal experience, and voters should know about his unwavering support for small and family farms. Jeff VanNortwick.
8. The Eighth District. Incumbent Wayne Adams is like Ferris, not a bad guy, but too often he lines up with the wrong crowd, the one that’s helped manufacture our current problems. We need new, not tired old solutions. Wayne is too tied to “we’ve always done it this way.” Challenger Chuck Nieves brings a lot of knowledge, savvy and experience to the job. He got screwed by the County Board earlier this year when it refused to reappoint him to the Planning and Zoning Commission in yet another secret power play where deals get done behind closed doors and yet another sincere, passionate and qualified citizen was removed from a position for not being a team player, but he gentlemanly did not trash the board during the forum. Nieves once served as planning commission chairman for a township in Wayne County. It appears he could breathe new life and ideas into a stale County Board. Serafin (Chuck) Nieves.
More than 15 years ago, county officials were accused privately of belonging to a powerful social club, “The Courthouse Gang.” Not many understood that charge back then, but it’s becoming more apparent it was and is an accurate description of Barry County government. Most incumbents’ service is to themselves and to one another, not to the people who elect them and they’ve gotten away with this for too long. Some reformers, such as Callton and Gibson, were elected two years ago and it’s time for more new thinking to join them and take seats on the top floor of the county courthouse.
Back in 1994, there was a revolution on the County Board, with a lot of new members winning elections. Their promises of change turned out to be false hooey. Now we need another revolution, this time to take back our local government.
Meanwhile, check out agitator’s County Board choices on his blog. They’re the same, for a lot of the same reasons.
These five candidates I have recommended will be advocates of change, which is sorely needed. Vote for incumbent Callton and challengers Nieves, VanNortwick, DeMott and Englerth. Tell your friends. And have your friends tell their friends. Find out what district you live in and vote in the Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 8. It is your duty as an American to help preserve our democratic system of government, even at the local level.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
20 comments:
I suppose that I must point the sharpened finger at the date 1992 when four(4)well-connected folks bought pieces of the trail for $163.40. Since I am a "newcomer" to Barry County, I never knew Mr. McKelvey well enough to decide if he was a leader worth following. Allowing Ms.James to block the trail effort for punk change without getting any stuff on his hands seems less than admirable.
I should also add that the speculation regarding Board members needs to focus on who the next Chairmarm will be. Who mc supports with his yard signs will be less important than which person can sell off the right combinations of committee assignments on January 1. The Chairmarm position is acquired by promising these positions in exchange for Chairmarm votes. Nextly, the issue is appointing only those members of the club that will not question the authority of the County Administrator. It is to the advantage of Michael to not have any folks in positions of importance who can read, write and/or calculate. I was always fond of asking the question "Who hires and fires this position?". In most cases the Administrator hires and fires and the Chairmarm rubberstamps for the admiring approval of those who were too busy to pay attention. Check this opinion by asking any current Commissioner who hires and fires the ____ Department "head". Commissioners do not attend meetings of Michael's Department heads. Even more obtuse is the hiring and firing of Executive Directors of various Boards and Commissions. Why do you think Jeff and Clare loaded up the Boards with excess Commissioners? Who does Dr.George Shannon answer to? These are the people who pull the strings of the dancing Commissioners, and who dance to Michael's strings. Commissioners take the heat for the actions of Directors but do not have the authority to hire or fire. How do you think the millage money will be spent? Who represents the public interest on the Charlton Park Board, the COA Board, or the 911 Board? Who selected these folks to those Boards? Who decided which folks would get interviewed. Where was the obscured transparency? What will the Commissioners have to say about these expenditures? What any particular Commissioner feels about an issue is irrelevant compared to the power of the Administrator. What would happen if the Chairmarm was bright enough to challenge Michael? Who will rule the Queenship? Which of your favored contestants will step up to the plate, and which of your choices will support that batter? I'll bet that Michael is tossing in bed at the idea of both ladies being missing from the next feast.
Long live the Queen!
Gongwer News Service Special Update, Monday, July 10, 2006, 12:09 pm
ANTI-ABORTION, UNICAMERAL DRIVES COME TO AN END
Two ballot drives that would have amended the state’s Constitution – one to define life at beginning at the moment of conception and another that would have abolished the Senate – have failed to gain the number of needed signatures, organizers for the group said Monday.
Cal Zastrow, chair of the Michigan Citizens for Life who had backed the proposal that would have banned virtually all abortions, said the group was so short of the number needed organizers didn’t bother to count the signatures.
The deadline to file 317,757 valid signatures with the Department of State is today in order to make the November ballot.
As of noon, organizers for the Stop Over Spending drive, which would limit government spending increases to population growth and the rate of inflation, had not called off their 3:30 p.m. press conference to turn in their signatures.
Full reports on the ballot proposals will be included in the Gongwer Michigan Report published later today.
Michigan politics is so corrupted by powerful special interests and money that in 99% of cases only those with the money to buy petition signatures can bring ballot issues before the public. It is a disgraceful truth those with money and power are the only ones capable of purchasing the signatures required to produce the 317,000+ valid names can and do have a stranglehold on the process. The ordinary citizens for whom the 'right to petition' was designed have been deliberately shut out of the prodcess.
As the Michigan Legislature stands today, 12 to 15 % Primary Election turnouts also serve only those interests. In multi candidate Primary Elections the narrow special interest groups are able to control outcomes with as few as 4 or 5% of the voter turnout. Since over 90% of legislative districts are geremandered to assure safe seats for the pary's in power in those districts, Republican and Democrat, the November legislative elections are but a thinly disguised sham. In the entire State of Michigan there are fewer than 23 of the 110 House seats taht are EVER truly contested.
This fraud is even worse in the United States House of Representatives where of 435 seats, fewer than 30 are in play in any election.
"They" let us go to the ballot box every two years to play with the machines but were we truly able to make changes "They" woudn't let us even do that.
The simple truth is that money has paid for legislatures and U.S House. A simple perusal of campaign finance reports will open the eyes of any citizen who can wade through them. Oh, and don't count on our 'liberal' press to bring any of these reports to your attention in any detail They never have and never will. Not even our local Hastings Banner has ever foud the moral imperitive to publish this information despite their knowlege that well over 90% of the dollars collected even in our 87th House District, comes from special interests OUTSIDE the district.
So much for the sins of the giant corporate media which are so slavishly followed by our local corporate J-AD Graphics.
Timmy,
Just happened upon your comments, if true what you report, does that mean he and she are in the same boat as far as taxes and tax exemptions?
What will the Pol-Watcher think about this alongwith all that have jump on his wagon?
As I just wrote in another blog, there are rules and then there are our rules.........
Still looking for and seeking the truth.
Doubt in same boat, Clare's has a hole in hers, water rushing in. Hasn't done anything but collect a paycheck and apparently cover things up. Can you swim Clare?
I'm still with Mark, believe he's what we must have to effectuate the changes required. The others do not have the strengths that are needed.
Others: Prove me wrong. I hear there's something cookin in the kitchen! Leery, but waiting to see if it's all a smoke screen to get votes on Aug 8th.
This is old news on Mark. If I remember right, this came up in county GOP circles when he was chair. I am not certain, but I believe he plays the forfeiture chicken game--once a property is close to being seized,they settle the back taxes by the deadline. Many folks who own multiple parcels do play this game.
As Pol corrected, Tripp's foible was really a glitch between what's on paper and what's on the web. Fault lies with Equalization Dept computers.
Neither of these two are saints. It's a fun race to watch, though I thought Mark might be a little more dramatic by now...
With regard to Timmy, he really should consult more with Lassie. Even Lassie knows that Mark Englerth is not the only person in the county who pays property taxes in deliquency....plus interest. If Timmy had asked Lassie he'd have discovered page after page of property taxes that are late and some of his friends on the list. In fact it was the deliquent tax fund used by this fiscally disfunctional Barry County Board of Commissioners to pay CASH for the Health Department and COA buildings in the sweatheart property deal with their buddy when bond money was available for slightly over 2.5%. Paying cash for long term capital improvements when such low bond rates are available is plain squandering of cash reserves.
Right on PTT: List all the names Timmy! I'm also not a financial analyst! But, you can probably look at Donald Trump and his humongous empire, and see where he's delinquent here and there, and his accountants/auditors have to balance this and that constantly to keep him where he is today. Wasn't he even considered "bankrupt" at one time, even if only for a few days.
PTT is right, they pay penalties and interest. I'm confident Mark will step up to the plate when he deems it time to do so. Calculated risks are involved in every business. Money goes where it is needed most and other costs deferred. Don't alot of us run our households that way. I have insurance and summer taxes in front of me. Deferring them to next month, unless at the end of this month I have a little extra to throw that way. Its called "Good money handling" Timmy!
What business is Clare in? We need the business experience and expertise of a Mark Englert. He is my candidate come August 8th.
911 "Rumors?" Clare, you have been given information from experts in the field. Talk to some street cops about the cop radios that go "bonk" in the night. Will a Federal Lawsuit over Sexual Harassment wake you up? Don't think the City, Villages and Townships will share the costs on that one! Ask them? Don't ask "Civilian" Chairperson Ron Neil (retired State Police Lt, already one on the board, why do we need two). He will do nothing. What Neil should do is RESIGN! And, a Joe Sixpack should be appointed in his place.
MC: Both your questions are subjective and when you're "autonomous" you can "cook" the books any way you want, especially when the Board is stacked the way they want it (i.e. Judy Wooer). To Question #1, they obviously can make it look like things are good. And, to be fair, most of the question entails issues that could be alot worse. If you add arbitrary, retaliatory, capricious, dictatorial (I could go on and on), then question #1 becomes a NO!
Question #2: A definite No! An absolute No! The "civilian" Chair must go.
Are answers given, Yes. Do we believe everything, No! Clare says "we are now getting a higher interest rate." Answer, Yes, acceptable, No! I could go on, I know you're too intelligent not to get my point.
I applaud your "superboard" oversight thoughts, thank you. At least it is a start. But, it will only be as good as the people who make up the Board. I guarantee when you ask the right questions and "get employees talking", with some sort of job security promise, the flood gates will open. When you add all the Public Safety officer concerns in the County this will probably be a full-time Board!
But, everyone must feel you are sincere and their jobs are not in jeopardy. Even then, some loyalties will still prevail (If Joe is hung out to dry, I can get his/her job).
Adverse takeover? Counties, Cities, etc., realign their Departments, agencies, etc., all the time. I hate to compare citizen requests for change to a SWAT Team attack? This 911 debate has been going on for years, complaints and concerns shushed away. Adverse sounds like a sneak attack and somehow wrong. How can you adversely take over something that is yours to begin with?
I read your letter over several times. I seem to feel a little hesitance. This leads me to believe this could just be another "They give the answers you want to hear, enough commissioners support them, the rest of us are radicals," and business goes on as usual. I truly wish I will be proven wrong. Truly!
There must be a "trigger" that opens the flood gates. The cop radios and cop car computers, despite the constant bitches and concerns over cop safety, still does not get the cops to come out in unison. Some are afraid of their bosses, some of who sit on the 911 Board.
Good Luck, for you, me, and the public! I hope I do not meet you at a cops funeral! At least you're communicating, more than we can say for the others on the Board.
MC: One last thought, on my above comment and your comment, the 911 Boards Design is being called into question. I'm hearing here, in the paper, and on the streets, that the 911 Board needs to be redesigned.
Therefore, your last statement that the County Board needs to make sure it is working the way it was designed will not be enough. The design has failed! It needs to be reconfigured and this one taxpayer wants it to be!
You're from Nashville, talk with Chief Barnes and your Sheriff. State Police have too much representation on the 911 Board, so I cannot in good faith recommend they be contacted (Yes, I am going to watch my speed).
Mike, I think you stand to gain some votes based on the similarity between your signs and calley's and the similarity in last names. red & white it a tough visual combination and you might reconsider that in the future.
MC: I would love to see that letter from Calley, or if he would send it to my email on here I would appreciate it. As a common street citizen I just can't believe we cannot impact our local government without North Korean involvement. I still believe we can change anything our hearts and minds are set to! To believe otherwise would nulify the very foundations we cherish so much.
You make it sound as though 911 will require a Michigan Constitutional Convention. I just can't believe that is necessary. An Attorney General's opinion should be sought!
Also interesting would be the problems that led Ionia County to seek control?
Please don't abandon us. Brash? Live under the issues you have seen on here and see how you respond.
It is so frustrating to see our government and its Leaders manipulated by these hooligans. I hope one of your fellow commissioners shares with you how intimidating they can be!
Someone said on here to vote down all millages, that's the only way to get our governments attention. What would the County do if the 911 millage fails next time? The Sheriff has a secondary 911 Center I believe. All Departments would pitch in, I'm sure, to answer phones and dispatch calls, many on their own time.
The County and other municipalities, if needed, would have to go into emergency session to deal with it.
Could we get results then?
Nakfoor-Prat has been given all the data on the misuse of the 911 cell phones. In the real world it would cook tne entire board (911) and its chairman, Ron Neil in particular.
Ovens gettin hott Ronnie!
Any news on the 911 Hoods and their leader dog ron neil and his meeting with c tripp and m brown? Possibly we can get neil admitted to the Ionia Shelter! Strong trooper should withstand some heat! Might as well get use to it ronnie, it's gonna get worse! Might as well post mark everything hastings, you never have fooled anyone but the likes of clare tripp. Not much accomplishment to that!
O.K. This must be the place. Blogging is new to old farts!
M.C., my apology for needling you with the Dr. M.C. Anonymous moniker. Not only are you live online now, but you actually admit to having an e-mail. This, of course, presumes literacy. It would be great if all of the Commissioners could do their homework by reading and doing some basic math. King James and the Five claimed to not read the Banner, in the past. Not too long ago two Commissioners were taken to task for having e-mail. Does blogging about County issues also fall in the legal category of becoming "County public business"?
You are correct on redesign of the 911 Board, but the first step is to "explore all other options" as they say. Now that the spotlight has shown on the 911 Board it is their turn to vindicate their autonomy by redesigning their own ByLaws, to reflect the most value for the taxpayers. They have the capability if they have the will.
Don't ever mention the possibility of not being re-elected again. That would be an unacceptable outcome for the guy I expect to be the next Chair(person). Have you started making deals for that process, yet? Everything that will happen after January 2 hinges on your ability to navigate the swamp.
The 911 Board will listen to the recommendations of the Committee if the leadership is in place. At this point the County Board remains irrelevent, which lures the parasites into positions of authority.
El Grillo: You presume too much from the 911 Board. Capability is stretching it quite a ways. They serve each other, not the Board or committee, and certainly not the public. And, absolutely not the public safety personnel they are suppose to keep safe. They sit on over a million dollars while your safety personnel have inadequate radios/towers and computers. They have policies and procedures, but bylaws came from the creation of the authority I believe.
The 911 issues have been brought before the 911 Board for years. They are incapable of change, unless forced. They are in it for their own personal gain, power, and greed.
Commissioners and others would like you to think 911 is a new "problem" they just heard of. B.S. It has been a problem since inception. Easy fixes are no longer an option. Drastic changes are needed now before one of your safety personnel get hurt or killed!
No, they are not capable of fixing themselves. They will only do so to the extent you get off their backs. The State Police dominance on the Board must end! The "civilian" must be replaced with a true "civilian." This is just a start. The 911 Director must go!
The value of 911 must be measured in the safety of the public and its public safety personnel, not in dollars! You can't put a price on a father killed by a bee sting!
Post a Comment