Councilor Katie Moonbeam's Self-Affirmation Moment

[XLFD]

At a night where the city council voted to retain bother their ultra-shady city manager and city attorney, despite hearing incontrovertible testimony from a citizen about their dis-qualifications in the public comment period, City Councilor Katie Moonbeam (aka Kathy Winczewski) was in rare form on defense. 

At 40:25 into the meeting video below she defended City Manager John Shay's performance:  "John Shay is extremely professional... he is a leader... he always gives us more information... city of Ludington is extremely lucky to have him."  Contradicting in full the document-supported evidence the public commenter stated earlier, without giving any examples other than her own declared experiences with him. 

But Councilor Moonbeam was far from through; she decided to cover the city's blessings in a prepared statement nearly fifteen minutes later, telling us what makes the city work:

December 21, 2015 Ludington City Council from Mason County District Library on Vimeo.

Councilor Katie Moonbeam (54:45 in):  "With a look back at 2015 and a look forward to 2016, a few words of gratitude I think are in order.

We live in a country that values and promotes free speech, and every city council meeting, any person from the community has the right to speak about an issue of concern. The speech may harbor old, or new information, fantasies or realities, fears or hopes, and truths that are untruths.  But everyone who wishes to, gets to express their insights and concerns to this governing body.

A big recognition to the individuals who keep this city running day and night, most of these people are on call, 24 hours a day. Policemen, firemen, Department of Public works, utility maintenance, water treatment, wastewater treatment, clerk, treasurer, assistant city manager, and city manager.

Thanks to all of them. Thanks to every community person who sits on boards for the city with no or very little pay. The Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Commission, the recreation board, DDA, Construction board of appeals, review board, and many others.

Finally to the city council, a moment of recognition to you for this time you have devoted to the city council work. The openness you bring with you to deliberations of city issues and the sincere caring that you possess for this small corner of the world. Thank each and every one of you, and I look forward, and am honored to be serving with you for another year on the city council. Merry Christmas to all of you."

Unfortunately, you can only see the back of my head at my front row seat at the meeting, if you could have seen my facial expression afterwards, or better yet, see the synaptic activity in my cranium, you may have been amused.  Like other self-congratulatory mumbo jumbo our city leaders have said in the past, usually around Christmas time or when they pay off another lawsuit, this puffery is aimed to accomplish two goals:  raise the city officials morale, and give pro-official propaganda for the media and the Ludington TV viewers.

But her inflated self-importance and outright arrogance shows her underlying elitism and socialistic tendencies.   She says, and from her actions and votes sincerely believes, that Ludington is what it is only because of their city workers. 

Note that in her words that she only is appreciative of city officials and employees and their work, some of which can be important.  But she totally neglects the mention of anybody who truly makes Ludington work. 

I can look out my window at the Kaines West Michigan plant, and see the cars of workers who go there everyday to make wire products and other things.  I can go outside and look up the street at McDonald's Bakery and Brills, look down the other way and see Merdel Game Manufacturing.  I can walk a little south and see the private marinas that many of the 'good' people that Councilor Moonbeam touts are trying to compete unfairly with. 

I can walk all around this community, and find hundreds of businesses and people that have no affiliation with our city government at all, who do their part to actually keep this city running.  For let's not forget, that we as a community could easily survive without a Construction Board of Appeals, a DDA, or any of these other groups Katie mentions, but we could not survive without the working people and job-providing businesses that foot the $5 million per year bill for running a seemingly unaccountable city government.

A Ludington city government which this year not only attacked hundreds of small business owners (landlords) and the thousands of consumers of their product (tenants) with their irrelevant housing inspection ordinance, but also supplicated themselves before the Michigan DNR in order to get over a million dollars in grants to renew their docks at the city marina, to assist with their aforementioned unfair competition with all of our private marinas. 

Blessed be our citizens who must endure the cursed work of the very people that Councilor Katie Moonbeam praises, our citizens who dutifully pay burdensome city taxes, and our citizens who supply those Moonbeam-praised workers with better than average salaries and unheard of levels of fringe benefits.  These citizens are the people who make our city what it is, they drive this city's engine despite what our so-called leaders believe.  Don't let anybody deceive you and tell you otherwise.

[AQUAMAN]

Very well said X, the real praise is displaced per Moonbeam Katie, and so is her banter at every mtg. she attends. Fact of the matter is, this woman talks so much, and has so little to say, that it's pathetic and benign at every glance. Rehearsed horse-hockey imho. Talk about a narcissist, her picture belongs in the dictionary under that word. Saw her last summer at a FNL event and approached her about that very thing: first with praise for being a local that we thought we could trust, but then questions about her skewed voting record, her support of bad ordinances, city charter changes, and her wrongful support of Shyster Shay in a few brief moments. All she could do in defense is simply walk away. Stagnant, arrogant, and standing at about 4'1" in stature, she's got nothing on her position nor character for the job of city council. All I hear is mouth, denials, and more cronyism to match all the finely oiled machinery that's already in place down there. Merry Christmas Moonbeam, while dreaming about the moon during the Holiday season, think about returning to some basic down to earth human traits in the New Year, some things that matter to locals, that can make a difference in the real future for taxpayers footing your retirement income.

[Willy]

Good ole Katie has turned into another condescending politician.

Katie: "We live in a country that values and promotes free speech, and every city council meeting, any person from the community has the right to speak about an issue of concern. The speech may harbor old, or new information, fantasies or realities, fears or hopes, and truths that are untruths.  But everyone who wishes to, gets to express their insights and concerns to this governing body"

We don't value free speech, we revere it. It is a cornerstone of our Republic. I wonder to whom she is referring to when she says the speech may harbor fantasies and untruths.

Katie: "A big recognition to the individuals who keep this city running day and night, most of these people are on call, 24 hours a day. Policemen, firemen, Department of Public works, utility maintenance, water treatment, wastewater treatment, clerk, treasurer, assistant city manager, and city manager.

I'm wondering Katie, are the people you mention being paid for these services? If so then aren't they doing the job they were hired to do just like all the taxpayers who do their jobs in order to pay the salaries of those you are praising. How about a little praise for those people who actually pay the bills so you can have a nice chair to sit on when you meet at the City Hall they paid for.

Katie:"Thanks to every community person who sits on boards for the city with no or very little pay. The Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Commission, the recreation board, DDA, Construction board of appeals, review board, and many others.

Don't these people volunteer to sit on the boards or are they hunted down, chained and forced to serve on these committees?

Katie:"Finally to the city council, a moment of recognition to you for this time you have devoted to the city council work. The openness you bring with you to deliberations of city issues and the sincere caring that you possess for this small corner of the world. Thank each and every one of you, and I look forward, and am honored to be serving with you for another year on the city council. Merry Christmas to all of you."

Katie, Katie, Katie, you've got to be kidding. A moment of recognition for not listening to the public, a moment of recognition for dicing and slicing the FIOA laws. A moment of recognition for imposing burdensome taxes and fees. A moment of recognition for turning your back on a citizen who regularly addressees the Council with information dealing with improprieties surrounding questionable practices by the City Manager, City Attorney, City Council proceedings and a myriad of actions that are not considered legitimate. 

 

[XLFD]

On-the-mark supplementary analysis, Willy.

If it were not for all the tenants and landlords who made a large amount of comments this year, I might take her fantasies, fear and untruths comments personally.  Furthermore, she didn't distinguish members of the community from the attendant officials (who are also members of the community), so she could be effectively saying that Shay, Wilson, herself, etc. may be harboring these three negative connotations. 

I would definitely have to agree with that part of her analysis if that's what she meant.

[John Doe Jr]

Corruption at it's finest.

One starting to crack?

A no vote for Shay, only to be reduced in skim milk to make the gravy for the course they will be serving.

These people are disgusting!

Merry Christmas!

[AQUAMAN]

Very well thought out and said Willy, you hit the nail on all counts where Moonbeam is concerned for sure. Another shoe-in crony for the council, only to stay forever with these concocked ideas and attitudes for years to come again.

[XLFD]

Councilor Moonbeam will be the only councilor up for re-election in 2018 (Cazzy is termed out, the others are due in 2016).  This could make her more vulnerable if someone wants the Second Ward spot. 

Very critical here is how she handles the rezoning of the Forest Hills property.  If she does not come out against it, and problems (real or imagined, to borrow her vernacular) arise from the deal, some of the people in Forest Hills may be energized and united to unseat her.  She already has problems with the landlords/tenants in her ward, now she may vex some of the homeowners. 

[Willy]

The real meaning, to the citizens, behind Moonbeams message

[XLFD]

I don't know whether to congratulate you for successfully and amusingly incorporating Katie's new surname and countenance onto a risqué seasonal ornament, or to cite you for a terms of service violation.   Whichever, well played, and Merry Christmas.

[Willy]

Far be it for me to tell Santa what type of tattoo he should display. Although I understand Mrs. Claus wasn't happy with the artwork that St. Nick received when he stopped to have a flask with his sailor friends. And as upset as she was about Mrs. Moonbeam, I can only imagine what her reaction was when Santa turned the other cheek. 

[dowland]

Ludington city workers, two men and a truck. One to sit in the truck and one to read the meter.

[AQUAMAN]

Agreed dowland, now how about real city work jobs like this: 8 men in 4-5 trucks, 1 doing work in a hole or sewer, 7 more standing above ground eating donuts and drinking coffee. Yup, real hard and sweaty work. Then Willy, those cartoons are too funny, two faces on two cheeks with the sameo trickery and shyster moves up their sleeves.