Four Candidates Interviewed for Sixth Ward Seat

[XLFD]

The Ludington City Council met at 6:30 PM on June 23, 2021 in order to interview and consider four applicants who wanted to take over Sixth Ward Councilor David Bourgette's job.  The four candidates were residents of the Sixth Ward and one will likely win the job at the June 28th meeting, when the six other councilors will decide the best replacement among the quartet.

Their applications/resumes/letters of intent are found in the meeting's packet, and shows a bit of diversity among the candidate's backgrounds, with a fair amount of experience, especially in the public sector.  Karen Nielsen (KN, seen below) is best known locally as a former chairperson of the LMTA Board, but before that she was in the teaching profession for 43 years.  Jack Bulger (JB) may be currently recognized as a referee in the Mason County Family Court for the last three decades, serving concurrently as an assistant prosecutor for half of that time, and having his own private practice.  He also served on the WSCC Board for 18 years.  

Todd McMaster (TM) rose to be a senior sergeant of the LPD reserves after moving to the Ludington area 14 years ago, he moved into the city only two years ago.  Lastly, you may remember Jason Kirkpatrick (JK) from his run for county commissioner (serving wards 4,5,and 6 of Ludington), he was a police officer in Walkerville for many years, before starting his own businesses here in Ludington (Jump Around Fun and JCK Construction LLC). 

Following the opening of the meeting and no public comment, each candidate faced the same ten questions from the mayor, followed by 3-5 follow-up questions from the councilors.  Here, summarized is the questions and answers, followed by a summarization of the candidates themselves using my observations and prejudices.  The candidates were interviewed separately, each session lasting about 30 minutes.

1)  How do you describe Ludington to other people?

JK:  As a great vacation place, stressing outdoor places and activities

TM:  Loved visiting it as a teen, moved to the place where other people save to visit.

JB:  "Forgotten gem of the coast", beautiful beach, state park, school system, etc.

KN: Liked plenty of aspects, including its progressive outlook

2)  Why are you interested in the position?

KN:  To be part of the solution.  Was worried about Foster School, liked influx of youths.

JB:  Retiring, looking to continue service.  Experience in WSCC and Ludington Building Authority.

TM:  Wants to see city continue to improve.

JK:  To change city for the better.  Grew up here, wants his own kids thrive here.

3)  What are skills and attributes you have to help you be a councilor?

JK:  Common sense, ability to listen, not self-centered, thinks big.

TM:  Able to handle complaints and help people get their needs

JB:  Attorney and city attorney experience, WSCC Board operates just like LCC.

KN:  Knowledge of how government works, quick to learn, willing to study

4)  Have you attended LCC meetings in the last two years?  If not, why not?

KN:  Watched on TV and encourages positivity over negativity

JB:  Watched once on Zoom, too much like his job at court.  Attended lots as city attorney.

TM:  Hasn't, but not due to lack of interest, family issues at his forefront with kids.

JK:  No, but attended some county meetings and county Republican meetings.

5)  Which department or service in city government interests you the most?

JK:  Finance, economic development, law enforcement

TM:  LFD, LPD, and DPW all do well, but could all be improved

JB:  LPD, recruitment, training, and pay is important.  Marina, used to be on the board.

KN:  Parks & recreation, coaching background noted.  Transportation and historical heritage.

6)  What are pressing issues facing the city?

KN:  Money.  Finding best balance between tourism and local needs.

JB:  Needs to maintain essential services first, not the exciting stuff.  Communication.

TM:  Drug abuse in youth.  Housing and other issues linked with drug abuse.

JK:  Underemployment, it's hard to find workers.  No workers = tourist dissatisfaction.

7)  How would you work with other councilors?

JK:  Compromising with open discussion on issues before them 

TM: Anyway he could, he would do whatever it takes to improve the city

JB:  Stressed WSCC Board experience, got along with others for goal of improving college.

KN:  Would listen, put forth ideas that mesh together and negotiate

8)  How do you plan to engage with constituents?

KN:  Always outdoors in nice weather, receptive to talk, participate in informal meetings.

JB:  Open to talk on Facebook and Twitter, noted ward isn't too large to walk around.

TM:  Walk around, encourage meeting attendance and participation.

JK:  Talk with the folks.

9)  What are your opinions or concerns about recent improvements in Ludington?

JK:  Didn't know enough about those improvements.

TM:  Expressed desire to bring Macker back and other activities lost during pandemic.

JB:  Had positive reviews of west end project, downtown residential buidings.

KN:  Noted that west end project has been poorly maintained.  Desired S James promotions.

10)  Explain your priorities and how you would balance different opinions on issues.

KN:  Studying, keeping track of money, analyze before decision making-- as she did at LMTA.

JB:  Get all info, work with and listen to staff. Cost-benefit analysis and talk with citizens.

TM:  Common sense.

JK:  Look at constitutionality and legality.  Use common sense and look to God.

Karen Nielsen handled follow-up questions dealing with her LMTA experience, sometimes a little awkwardly.  When asked to elaborate on her happiness with getting her yard waste picked up and whether she would pay extra for that she quoted:  "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."

Nielsen appears as the best choice for a progressive-leaning councilor, though her honesty on the west end project may trouble those folks, her comments on positivity notwithstanding.  Nevertheless, she is out of favor with the mayor for being a squeaky wheel and will not likely be strongly considered.

Jack Bulger (above) was asked about things the city does well, he replied maintaining infrastructure, garbage pick-up, and police services.  Said housing issues could be corrected through adjusting zoning and planning policies.

Bulger has a solid background through his long and varied experiences on boards (WSCC, Marina, and Building Authority) and his attorney, referee, and city attorney experience can only be considered assets.  This candidate's assets cannot be ignored when choosing another candidate over him.  Consider him the prohibitive favorite for this short-term position, for he has the experience, demeanor, answers, and political savvy to sway votes his way.

Todd McMaster (above right) offered mostly short answers to the ten questions, but afterwards he fielded follow-up questions admirably.  He noted that LPD Captain Haveman told him of the position, while neighbors encouraged him to run.  He elaborated on how the drug problems of the city  he emphasized was felt personally for him, with his daughter being captive to drug addiction.

McMaster may lack some of the qualifications of other candidates, but that may have worked for him in a general election as he did show an amazing amount of passion, emotion, and empathy for some of the kitchen table political issues of the area.  It will likely get him an honorable mention by some councilors on Monday, but he is definitely a dark horse candidate given the electors.

Jason Kirkpatrick (above) listed his ideas on how to make Ludington family-friendly again, explaining that history shows resorts and other concepts in the past attracted families and kept them coming back as families.  He noted housing problems had an underlying employment problem issue; if one can't land a job to pay for housing, they won't find it.  He affirmed that the lack of people to fill jobs is mostly due to people able to receive more for not working than by working.

Kirkpatrick would be under strong consideration if the current Ludington City Council was peopled by conservatives, a political ideology that seems to dominate the area, but is notably absent in the non-partisan council.  His silence on question 8 will likely be interpreted by councilors as a lack of focus on what the city is doing, or worse, as a dodge so that he didn't have to say how big of a waste of money the west end project and Legacy Park Project was.  He's a strong candidate who would do well, but the council will not choose him because he is not malleable enough to fit in their mold.

Unless some major skeleton is found in Jack Bulger's closet, or unless the council considers him too strong of a presence, he looks to be the ultimate choice of the council this coming Monday, despite the strengths of his diverse competition.  

[Willy]

Very good coverage X. Good points Lake Lady. It would be nice to see some conservative thinking on the City Council but that seems to be rare these days. I've always had mixed thoughts on why old men would want to wear a pony tail. Maybe they use to be baby boomer hippies? On the other hand I have trouble understanding younger men shaving off a perfectly good head of hair, showing the chrome dome affect. To each their own, I guess, but when it comes to initiating progressive legislation by leftist  local politicians, " to each their own" just doesn't cut it when the needs of the public come first.

 

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy, but you and Lake Lady have to remember that the six people who are voting on Monday for a new councilor will also be holding a truth in taxation hearing so that they can take $90,000 more tax dollars from their struggling constituents.  City hall hasn't done anything beyond the normal, in fact, they've slacked off quite a bit during the 'pandemic', but they've approved 5% pay raises for their staff in this year's budget and despite the nearly one million dollars they'll get from the last stimulus package, there is not a one who has indicated that they will vote against the tax hike proposed at this meeting.  

You really expect a left of center council to appoint a true conservative councilor when they might get a little friction in the future from their wanton spending of tax dollars?  They get more than enough of that from yours truly.

[XLFD]

John "Jack" Bulger was chose to fill the vacant spot earlier tonight. After a 3-3 vote with Terzano, Cain and Johnson voting for Bulger, the rest (Winczewski, Stibitz, and May) voting for the other nominee, Karen Nielsen, it came to the mayor for the tie-breaking vote and he unequivocally backed Bulger.  

Knowing the mayor and the current council, I think there was some choreography involved, but not a lot.  The two other candidates received the perfunctory praise designed to mollify their egos before they were snubbed in the nominating process.

[Freedom Seeker]

Well said Lake Lady. Sadly I have to agree with all you say. Thanks X for keeping us informed.