Of Wine and Water in Manistee

[XLFD]

Wine

In case you missed the reports, a high profile arrest for drunk driving took place at the Oleson's parking lot in Manistee.  Long term West Shore Community College (WSCC) President, Chuck Dillon, was stopped, evaluated and arrested by the Manistee Police Department around 9 PM on Wednesday after they had received reports that someone was seemingly driving while intoxicated.  Dillon refused a Breathalyzer test (PBT), but did have his blood drawn so as to determine whether he was indeed drunk.  Those results won't be known until about two weeks, but he did spend the night in jail for suspected DWI. 

Before the news was publicly released, the Board of Trustees of WSCC was informed of his stop and detainment, and Board Chairman James Jensen issued the typical statement of how they are taking this seriously and conducting their own investigation.  Dr. Charles Dillon up to this point has remained mute on the topic, showing the lack of any true leadership on his part. 

Don't get me wrong; I believe in his innocence of the charge until the blood test comes back and says otherwise, just like I would for anyone else.  But he is the leader of an institution where we send our kids to become better people, to learn how to be professionals, and this is a serious crime he is charged of.  We expect more from the people that lead our higher institutions.  

So saying nothing is inexcusable.   Either vociferously denounce this stop as a witch hunt where you assure us the results of the blood test will fully exonerate yourself, or own up to your problem and your foolish action of getting behind the steering wheel when you had too much to drink.  Dr. Dillon, you're smart enough to know what the result of that blood test will be in the range of, why don't you give us the truth, rather than make us all wait for it?  If you are guilty of DWI at 9 PM on Wednesday, it betokens other problems, which many people who respect WSCC as an institution may transfer negatively to that institution. 

In disclosure, I once served as an associate professor out at WSCC in the field of mathematics, and gave a student in one of my classes a grade of 'D', because that was what she had earned by scoring lowest in the class.  It turns out that the student fibbed about her scores to her mother who had used her position and influence to protest the grade to the WSCC Board three marking periods later; she wanted an 'A' or 'B'.  I probably would have taken a 'C' grade under strong consideration, if not for the student's misrepresentations of her grades, which were given to her throughout.  The board eventually approved the amending of the grade without showing why the initial evaluation wasn't flawed, and I appealed it to Dr. Dillon. 

Dr. Dillon didn't spend a lot of time on the matter in deciding to uphold the board's decision, but did accede to the fact once I confronted him that there was more at work behind the change than my evaluation methods, and implied that the change was needed to appease the proper people.  Rather than drink myself silly and wind up in an Oleson's parking lot, I just resolved not to work at WSCC any more after that semester. 

Mayhaps the pressures of the job finally caught up with him, but I saw the lack of good leadership in my ten minutes with him.  And even though he remained in his job, while I moved on, I believed he was the one who had the poor judgment.  He is just another pragmatist put into a leadership role, whose decisions are made to primarily satisfy those who may have influence over his future.  It seems to have caught up to him in his weaving car in Manistee.

Water

At the latest Manistee City Council meeting, the topic of water came up-- as in the cost of water to the poor and the people who don't use it went up greatly.  This has to do with a recent change in how the water bill is figured out in Manistee with a newly charged "ready-to-serve" fee. 

At the latest council meeting, Ray Fortier discussed the impact of the new charges on low-income people (along with the prohibitive subsidies the City is giving the marina and Ramsdell Theatre).  Bob Grabowski complained more of this and spoke of the ready-to-serve charge applying to outdoor (sprinkler) meters year round.  Ross Spencer argued how the new policy discriminated against the low-income users.

Before the change, Manistee did not have this charge.  A ready to serve charge is a fixed monthly charge that is designed to recover a portion of the costs of operating the system.  When initially introduced into a system that had only a charge per water unit used, it greatly affects those who use little or no water in their city system.  Effectively, the poor, the water conservers, and those who are absent most of the time pay a lot more than they used to.  This can be illustrated with the chart provided in this link from the City's website reproduced below, check the link for other frequently asked questions: 

A)  Someone who is away from his house for an extended period used to have only a fixed $6.60 per month for sewer, now they will see their bill more than double to $13.84 because of the RTS charge.

B)  A household that uses 2000 or fewer gallons per month (quite common for one or two person households-- check this link to see how much yours uses if you don't have access to your water bill) will see at least a 22% jump. 

C)  Big time users, like businesses and larger, wealthier households that use a little over 10,000 gallons a month, will actually see a drop in their bill because the nominal decrease in the charge per unit of water eclipses the RTS charge.

Therefore, the RTS is a fee that will be a lot more burdensome on those who use little or no water, and since few poor households will/could actually use enough water to see anything more than a double digit percentage increase in their water bill, it is fair to say they are being hit hard by the new system.  These users typically do not 'stress' the system like the high volume users, so it is fair to question this standard being implemented rather than a straight user fee, particularly when a user who has a hook up for one sprinkler pays the same RTS fee as an industrial entity that goes through hundreds of thousands of gallons each month.

[XLFD]

Another important part of the wine story is that Dr. Dillon was not driving his own vehicle, but a 2013 model university-owned vehicle.  The WSCC Board will likely take that into consideration if he is found to have been driving drunk, or admitted to that fact.  Was he using the vehicle to drive to and from a tavern's happy hour, or just coming back from a college function where he had one too many run-ins with the free bar? 

[NYC]

He has a right not to incriminate himself, he's probably home praying his blood test comes back under the limit.

[XLFD]

He has the right to take the fifth-- and maybe taking a fifth is what got him into this position-- just like Lois Lerner of the IRS can, and suffer the consequences inherent in doing so.  WSCC is ran mostly by public dollars, about half of its funds come from property taxes, and about 30% more comes from state and pell grants, and as such Dr. Dillon is a public official who deserves additional scrutiny when he runs afoul of the law and only shares his problems with the board that oversees him, which in turn plan to have a closed meeting where they discuss the issue.   

The public's tax money is paying for this special meeting called on account of Dr. Dillon's alleged impropriety, let us be part of the process.  The WSCC Board can show their own 'leadership' by keeping the process transparent, they don't have to go into closed session.  Unfortunately, I cannot attend tonight's WSCC Board meeting because I have Ludington's City Council to attend to. 

[Willy]

Dr. Dillon should be treated like everyone else. No better or no worse. If this was his first time I can see not coming down to hard on him but if he has a running history of drinking that may have been swept under the rug then he must suffer the consequences. 

As far as the water usage in Manistee, citizens and business's should pay for what they use, nothing more. This new charge reminds me of the non-homestead tax.  Non resident taxpayers who use services less than resident taxpayers are being abused by the system and forced to pay a much higher tax rate than residents.  And when resident taxpayers can increase the taxes of the non resident by a voting process that is not open to non residents, I consider that an act of cowardice by the resident taxpayers.

[XLFD]

Readiness to serve charges have been in the Ludington water rates for many years, since at least 1974, when it was a flat $4 fee, it's imperative to keep the RTS fees low so that it isn't an undue burden on those who barely use the system.  Like the two new millages that were passed, non-resident taxpayers will get hit the hardest and won't receive any benefit from the additional expense. 

 

Dr. Dillon should be treated just like everyone else by the police and justice system, and hopefully that will be done here.  But being a college president does necessitate him to live by a higher standard to retain that position.  If he drove while being legally drunk in a college-owned vehicle, he should be seriously reprimanded by the college.

[MED]

AMEN, Willy! Taxation without Representation is alive and well in Michigan!

[Wonder Woman]

The latest reports indicate Dr. Dillon was driving home from a party hosted by local radio newsman Steve Ruba.  LMFAO!!! 

[AQUAMAN]

I think that's really funny unless it's true WW, then it's sad and shameful too, as well as funny in a warped way! Lol! 

[XLFD]

If Dr. Dillon took the same back way home that former Scottville Mayor Joe Baxter did from that party, he just may have made it back undetected, Wonder Woman.

But seriously, there was a meeting which featured a two hour closed session with Dr. Dillon making a telling public statement before it, and the board making a telling statement afterwards, as related in the COLDNews by Brian Mulholland:   

“I take full responsibility for my behavior,” Dillon said prior to the board's two-hour closed session, which he requested and attended. “I am filled with regret. I have let down the college, the board, my colleagues and friends who worked so hard to build the reputation of this college. And most of all I've let down my family. I am so, so sorry and I ask for your forgiveness.”

The college board was in closed session for two hours Monday night and crafted a statement that President Charles Dillon will undergo a residential alcohol treatment program, return the college automobile he was driving and is on paid leave following his arrest.

The motion, made by Bruce Smith and seconded by Richard Wilson, approved the following statement:

In the interest of the health and welfare of West Shore Community College and Dr. Dillon, I move that Dr. Dillon be placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation by the board of trustees. The following stipulations are included: 

1. Dr. Dillon will successfully complete a residential alcohol treatment program to be followed by a fitness for duty examination; 

2. Dr. Dillon will waive the physician/patient privilege in favor of the board of trustees and instruct that all records/progress notes be released to the chairman of the board of trustees; and 

3. The College automobile will be returned to campus and will remain parked until further notice.

[Willy]

Mr. Dillon never mentioned that he let down the students he is responsible for. I guess they didn't come to mind when he made his apologies.

[XLFD]

Good catch, Willy, I hadn't noticed that oversight.  Yet it doesn't surprise me.

[shinblind]

Looks like Dr Dillion made super drunk.

  http://www.masoncountypress.com/2014/08/20/college-president-may-fa...

Guess they didn't grade his blood test on a curve.