Wow. The entire city of Hastings is without power and estimates seem to be getting pushed back as to when it gets restored – yesterday, I kept hearing maybe Wednesday while today I'm hearing it might be Thursday. Makes me wonder where all those people I saw driving around town were headed since it was after morning rush hour when I drove through town Monday morning- up to Grand Rapids to buy generators perhaps?
One has to wonder how many people spent much of Friday's check on groceries sometime during the weekend, only to have a lack of power and 90+ degree temperatures turn the food into worthless mush. Luckily, my in-laws have a generator and some extra room in their refrigerator and freezer or I'd have been throwing out a good chunk of the $100+ I spent on staples this weekend without money to replace it.
The weird thing was that I was without power most of the weekend (we're on Great Lakes Energy out here at the Pol Watcher Compound- sometimes it seems as if every stiff breeze knocks out our power, if only for a few minutes), it seemed to get restored from Saturday's storms just in time for the wave of Sunday storms. I thought power had been restored around dinner time Sunday night but it lasted only for a brief minute or two before going back off until sometime after midnight. Hastings seemed to be in clear and was fine for a few hours after the storm passed Sunday afternoon before the lights went out.
I'm taking my chances with this post since many of you regular readers might be among those without power, but for those with some juice feel free to share your story about how you made it through the weekend. Enjoy your weather-related 3 day weekend... and give some sort of thanks to the crews working 'round the clock to get everything back up and running even as you wish they could do it even faster.
P.S. For the political junkies, I should be getting around to doing some kind of round-up of local elections as time allows sometime in the very near future. A Clash of the Titans going to head to head for Sheriff, the entire county running for Drain Commissioner, not one single Democrat filing for county-wide office – it's almost too much to put together.
The original blog covering Barry County and West Michigan's political scene.
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28 comments:
Pol....ya missing one. Anger is running as a Democrat for Drain Commissioner. *smile*
As for my storm story. We have a quite damp basement, flooded garden, branches down in the backyard and that was Friday & Saturday's gift. Supposedly parts of the city north of Woodlawn where out at that point and we had a downed power line on N Church St north of Grant.
It was almost 8pm on the button when the rest of the city went out. It came back on for about 10 minutes at 2am (probably enough to save our fridge) and then back again at 1:30pm? It was kinda of surreal looking south to downtown and seeing only one lonely blinking yellow light.
PW--
You live in a compound???
Like the Branch Davidians? Or those polygamists? ;)
Fortunately for Chief Sarver, almost nobody is reading these blogs anymore. Being endorsed by the TS would be worse than running into a mailbox.
ts - it is obvious you are on target again. barry county has so many sheep and they are such followers. probably why el grillo never got reelected.
Our question is how mister
0-15, evans, our county prosecutor has his name on the same political signs along side engleth who is running for drain commissioner ? hasn't engleth "drained" the taxpayers enough because he has elected not to pay his thousands of dollars of back taxes? why hasn't evans prosecuted engleth? is it because evans thinks there is no jury appeal or is it just more political back scratching, the "I see nothing" sydrome.
it is obvious el grillo speaks out of both sides of his mouth with his support of the trio plus and the continued dumbing down of our county at the tax payers expense.
again this has a close resemblence to detroit's mayor kilpatrick deceitfulness and gule, and the michigan democratic parties charades and blind leadership. all pea's in the same pod, dad said.
Englerth's back taxes are the type that cause the property to be seized by Circuit Court and have nothing to do with Tom Evans. I honestly thing that the failure to pay the taxes is either gross mismanagement of his finances or a result in the severe downturn in the real estate market. The arguement against the late is that the late payment of his taxes has been going on for years and years. Now do we really need a Drain Comm who apportions "taxes" to others and refuses to pay his own.
Another problem is that at 53.5K per year salary as Drain Comm, he's gonna have to keep his regular day job to pay the 20K + in property taxes he owes. Hence the concern that his interest in Drain Comm is to pad his wallet and obtain full health benifits and retirement without being required to put in a 40 hr work week. I think all the other candidates with maybe the exception of Allerding know that it is a full time job.
pw2--
Don't get your panties in a twist. grillo's comment was more a reflection of the decline of this blog rather than of your beloved fearless leader.
I actually find grillo's post to be on point and objective. I don't always agree with him, but I respect his opinions.
Thanks, J,
"the cricket" was not re-elected due to the superior campaign of Commissioner Nevins. Subsequent to this defeat, we served together on at least two commissions and boards where we found common ground and hopefully made some progress in a forward direction.
One of the reasons for the loss of interest in this blog (which includes the rare visits by the PW) is that many of the comments are lacking in factual content, or worse yet tend to provide false and misleading information.(I am reminded of the expression "sending a boy to do a man's job")
While not a tax expert, I understand the economics of the "Englerth Protocol". Real estate development and construction work can be manipulated to cause property taxes to be paid by an eventual purchaser of property, rather than by the seller or developer. The fact that fines and fees have accumulated merely increase the eventual cost. Any inconvenience caused by a computer-generated fine is generously compensated for by the enormously higher amount collected.
Having stated the obvious, I would like any of the blabbermouths who continue to focus on this non-issue to provide proof that Commissioner Englerth has in fact actually failed to pay (eventually) all taxes, fines, fees, etc. on any property. I don't agree with this practice, but it is not unethical nor illegal in any way.
I support Mark in his bid for another public office. If there were any Democrats who had the courage to run for public office in Barry County instead of sitting around watching home movies, I would also support them. Mark had the knowledge and vision to lead us out of the incarceration morass and into the visionary world of rehabilitation, and should have gotten a divorce from the 9-1-1 debacle immediately, but he tends to be a bulldog.
No longer having the credibility to provide leadership as a Commissioner, he will still be an asset in public service.
The real focus should be on the power vacuum in the Gun Lake area. Which of Mark's replacements has the ability to prevent the construction of a mega-warehouse for non-violent "criminals? Which one has the ability to understand the "Special Revenue Funds" in the County "slush funds"? Which one will bash his/her head against the walls of "the way we have always done it" conservatism? Questions well beyond the scope of most of the comments on this blog.
Chief Sarver is highly qualified to provide the leadership and vision that our Sheriff's Department is sorely in need of, but I fear that he has underestimated the political opposition. Many of the offices being voted on do not require evidence of capability, only the ability to sway the votes of popular opinion. Large billboards, connection with familiar names, slogans, bright colors, alphabetical advantage, "American"-sounding names, and frequent photo support of the newspapers are much more important than ability. What might be helpful for a job that is county-wide is support from the metropolitan news media which has more affect in the populous corners of the county than the local press. At least 4/5ths of the county has no interest in the City of Hastings, so Chief Sarver's excellent performance has been primarily ignored, and the name of the Prosecutor will register widely as somebody who exposed somebody else as a criminal, once upon a time long, long ago.
thats a really good post grillo.
El grillo:
The property tax laws have changed and the practice of kiting your taxes from year to year is now subject to a 18% annual interest rate plus fines which I think run about $425 after the first year. I can understand getting used to this practice back when the interest rate was closer to 3% with a tiny annual fine, but that changed in about 2004 to a more punitive system.
Take a look at properties in question: 4 rentals, 3 commercial properties and a personal home. 7 of 8 are in forfeiture. These properties aren't being flipped, they all have been held from 4 to 30 years in time.
And, of course, he has paid the taxes; otherwise, we'd be talking about his foreclosed properties not his back taxes. Obviously this is a non-issue in Barry County with the economy the way it is, many people would totally understand getting a wee bit behind on the bills.
And El Grillo....one of the drain comm candidates is a Democrat who obviously is not sitting home watching movies. There supposedly will be two debates for that group: June 24th at Jefferson Hall and July 10th at the COA. Should be interesting...
And as for saying "Many of the offices being voted on do not require evidence of capability, only the ability to sway the votes of popular opinion." Amen Brother! I've started hearing about some of the money being thrown about and I am boggled!
I understand better then most the ability to get behind in taxes, and the economy and the governor have to be blamed.
We have no jobs, thousands out of work and high gas prices.
If it comes to paying taxes or eating I choose to feed my kids.
Molli,
I know of several candidates who are personally debating wether to go to the Dem's debate because of the last time when the Dem candidates not only had the questions before the debate but also the time to create pie charts and do surveys to find the answers thier people wanted to hear.
While some do not feel that they will get a fair shot there at Jefferson Hall, there are some who do not want 'the empty chair' with thier name on it on the front page of the Banner.
Personally I will not be attending the Republican Party's Debate on July 17 at the COA because I have already volunteered for the Barry County GOP Fair Booth during that time...
plus it would not be a good idea to get Fred Jacobs and myself in the same room...that mix is lethal.
Ah...hrmmm that's not exactly fair, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the tables turned on her then for the Rep debate then. So far without a moderater even chosen for the Dem debate and the two suggested are both good republicans, I don't think the questions have even been made up. I also know that she wouldn't take the handout from the Dems if she knew the others didn't have the questions beforehand.
The drain comm debate for the reps is July 10th I believe...The dem might not even show to one or the other...she, like Selleck, is a wee bit pregnant (like 8/9 months if you've seen her waddling around the courthouse).
I would have hoped that the Reps and Dems could have gotten together on this project. One stop shopping would have been easier for all involved.
We at the BCGOP have already determined that we are going to give the Dem canidate for Drain Commissioner every advantage and the best wishes we can...she will not be ambushed like we were back then.
I (and several others) insisted on her fair treatment myself and she can call me or any other member of the Executive committee personally to chat anytime...
BTW the BCGOP has asked for the questions to be submitted via postal mail to the box office where no one who is a candidate can see them...anyone can submit a question although they must use thier own name and not be anon.
The purpose of the debates is to get some free press advertising, if a reporter shows up. The audience is rarely significant and even more rarely is likely to have any of their opinions altered.
You don't need to know the questions if you know the answers.
Not showing up at this photo opportunity is grounds for losing an election. It demonstrates total lack of interest in the representation and solo interest in the compensation.
If you read the details in Mike Calltons ad last week that listed the pay of the elected offices, you might have been led to believe that Commissioners only earn $13,000 -$14,000 plus a little miscellaneous. In fact, the "per diem" payments for any Commissioner worth his salt should be at least this much more.
Since The Hastings Banner seldom attends any of the working meetings that Commissioners attend, the general public gets the impression that Commissioners only work twice a month. The Commissioners I have worked with frequently have to travel long distances to attend various board meetings and other assignments that require significant amounts of preparation and study. Correctly done, the work of a true representative is worth a great deal more than the pay. I repeat... correctly done.
The abysmal showing of the County Democrats demonstrates their lack of interest in helping lead the county out of the paradigm of continuing to do things the way they have always been done. Not to say that the reigning GOP office holders are not doing their best, but things always work better when we all work together. Apparently the objective of the local Dems is to advise the GOP from afar.
Pass the popcorn.
Responding to Grillo:
Not showing up at this photo opportunity is grounds for losing an election. It demonstrates total lack of interest in the representation and solo interest in the compensation.
In total agreement with this one. If you can't be bothered to show up for what is, sadly, the most high profile opportunity to have your face seen and your voice heard then you are unfit for office. Sadly, the Banner always used to "invite" people by announcing it in the paper with the former editor defending the practice by saying anyone worth their salt should be reading the Banner. God forbid your copy got lost in the mail or you were on vacation that week.
Since The Hastings Banner seldom attends any of the working meetings that Commissioners attend...
Which is also where all the action is. Which means citizens who can't attend every single committee meeting often find themselves not knowing about things until they've been through committee and are virtually done deals, only needed a show of hands at the Commission meetings. This practice was always defended by the "we don't enough reporters" excuse even though they seem to have enough reporters to go out and take photos of downed tree limbs after a storm or to attend car shows.
The abysmal showing of the County Democrats demonstrates their lack of interest in helping lead the county out of the paradigm of continuing to do things the way they have always been done.
Actually, it's more about how the people in charge of the party drove out anyone who had an interest in helping the party. Now we have a situation where the party seems dead and no one wants to bother doing CPR on a corpse. It will take an amazing amount of effort just to get a heartbeat, let alone do anything significant. Many have given up or simply gone undercover, realizing it's just easier to run as a Republican since there's no party support anyway- why give yourself the handicap of being a Democrat in Barry County (worth about -10 points at the polls) and not get any advantage?
Yeah, the Co Dem party is in sad, sad shape. Average age is 70. I think the Dem disadvantage is more like -30 in rural areas and -10 in Middleville, Gun Lake and Hastings.
I was noticing yard signs out and about...everything is concentrated in the city. Any county-wide candidate worth his salt would be getting out to those county line roads pretty soon. Nothing on my drive in from Charlotte on Sunday until I hit a Hoot sign at Charlton Park road.
TS
Commissioner Don Nevins screwed up, so wet your pants over it. If that was an important issue, some Democrat would be taking the opportunity provided by GWBII to run for his seat on the Commission. It would be equal to a free lunch. Apparently, you are the only one who finds this still interesting.
There will never be a better opportunity to be a Democrat and win an election. GWBII has the lowest approval rating ever recorded by rating agencies. In spite of all that, the Dems can't find anybody in the County seat (or at Bob's) to get 17 signatures on an election application, and run for the First District against your nemesis.
molli,
Shhhhhh! At the last possible moment, when the rest of the pack is sleeping in comfort, some candidate will spring forth with a crop of county-wide yard signs that will sprout like daffodils all over the corners of our lot, and 4/5ths of the county will see an ad in their favorite metropolitan newspapers and a mirror image will be splashed on TV. Suddenly, the Republicans in the neglected corners of the county will discover that the election is at hand (and will roll over to watch a rerun of the American Idle).
Meanwhile, there will be another home movie shown by the Regressive Party about how somebody should get on the ballot in a few years, or so.
Pass the popcorn.
Oh! I almost forgot. The bull about having to be a Republican to win an election in Barry County is a fiction (probably being spread by the local GOP).
The Democrats don't win in Barry County because they don't offer anybody a chance to vote for them.
"Half of being successful is showing up for work!"
A.E.Neumann
County-wide? .... Mark Englerth has already spent $4000 on signs (according to my brother who says he's in the know).
Lonely democrat...no daffodils yet.
And the gossip is flying fast and furious over who is boycotting the Dem's debate and who's in charge of picking the questions for the Rep's debate.
El Grillo, you take butter or salt on that popcorn. I got one of those $10 refillable buckets!
The amount one spends on one's campaign is public information...and must be disclosed...if Englerth wants to spend his campaign money on signs its his right.
Gossip? What gossip?
The TRUTH as spoken in the recent 6-16 BCGOP meeting is that Vivian Conner Chairman of the Exectutive Board or the BCGOP will support ANY candidate who wants to participate in the Dem's debate and every candidate is allowed and encouraged to decide for themselves to participate or not.
No one involved in any campaign has been allowed to see the questions for the debates. The moderators for each have control of that aspect of thier debate.
The questions that have been submitted to the GOP's via postal mail will be used at the respective debates, she has, as of 6-16, only received a few for the sheriff debate and a few for the township clerk in Thornapple debate.
You want a question asked?? WRITE IT DOWN and send it to the post office box.
You want to know the real sadness about the upcoming primary? Someone who never participates in the local party or goes to ANY meetings may actually win and then they will be statutory members of the BCGOP without paying a dime or doing a darn thing to help the local party members... I could cry at that thought!!
Like I said...it's gossip and clarification is a good thing, but I've heard something different from another person who was at the meeting. I'll ask if he stayed for the entire meeting next time I see him or that perhaps he may be mistaken about the trend in the conversation.
Sorry if the sign comment about money spent seems out of context, a couple prior posts have been removed and things aren't tracking correctly. I think the thread was trending about the number and placement of the yard signs and I was observing that they where highly concentrated in the city.
Political parties obviously don't work the same as other local-national organizations. You have to join at national, state and local levels and roll down or membership higher-up is not automatic. A couple of national organizations that I've joined automatically put you in a state chapter and then you choose a local chapter or "at-large" membership. The fractured memebership hurts you at the local level.
There was a recommendation to the group (by a high-up official in the local party who is NOT running for ANY LOCAL OFFICE) that all Republican candidates boycott the Dem debate but there was no motion and the group as a whole aggreed that everyone should be allowed to decide for themselves.
Not one single candidate at the meeting said for certain they are boycotting the Dem's debate, even my hubby is considering going as an audience member.
Vivian did make the comment that she will support ANY active member at the Dem's debate.
I personally will not be at the Commissioners debate (even though I am a candidate's wife and manager) due to the fact that Fred Jacobs is the moderator...and also someone needs to 'man' the fair booth at the same time.
BTW We have only spent $225 on signs but they have not arrived from the printer yet so no one has seen them on every corner...
IF we had an extra $4k laying around to spend on the campaign we might spend half but we have too many extra bills to pay since the beginning of my 3 year unemployment.
"The TRUTH as spoken" seems to be the typical information coming down from Republican headquarters.
Way back when I spent hard-earned dollars to "join" what I thought was the official Republican Party (GOP,etc.) I found that each of the separate groups had their own hand extended, palm upwards.
I would have gone to the local meetings if they had a playground slide instead of a handicap ramp.
Somehow the distinction of a statement being made (by a high-up official in the local party who is NOT running for ANY LOCAL OFFICE)" seems more like a Democrat position of leadership (Gathering of Old People (GOP)).
Is molli weide the lone democrat running for drain commissioner?
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