Profiles in Cowardice Featuring John Shay

[XLFD]

Ludington City Manager John Shay has shown few scruples in achieving his goals through the 14 years he has had his position.  To thwart his detractors he has had no problem in using his authority and powers to defame and discredit them.  When he wished to quell my investigations into the city's shady interactions in 2011, particularly those pertaining to the shady conflicts of the Downtown Development Authority, he suggested the Community Development Director take out a Personal Protection Order (PPO) against me, even though I had never made any sort of contact with her.

Failing that, he had the city attorney and the police chief help him draft a Workplace Safety Policy, which allowed any city employee in anonymity who felt threatened by someone, to have the city police serve that person with a "Letter of Trespass" that could keep that person off not only private property, but public property as well.  I was served with such a letter without any due process which stated I could not set foot on City Hall property or the Ludington Police Station without the threat of being charged with a misdemeanor for trespassing. 

It wasn't a coincidence that those were the only two places I could inspect public records with my various FOIA requests.  Two years later, after listening to John Shay boldly lie while under a sworn deposition, I won (or reaped substantial monetary settlements) three lawsuits against the City and/or John Shay involving the WSP in federal court, involving the FOIA in Michigan Appeals Court, and involving the Open Meetings Act in our local circuit court. 

John Shay, just after the council agreed to pay off the federal court settlement, proceeded to falsely, recklessly and spitefully slander me at a council meeting.  I asked for an apology for each character assassination I suffered, I have got nothing since.  During a September meeting in 2016, while my father was dying, he made the same false aspersions simply because I stood behind two Ludington Torch members who were also being persecuted by this tyrant with an investigation his police force took part in. 

These vindictive lies were once again leveled at a public meeting, on the same day we were all informed that the city's hired criminal attorney, Prosecutor Paul Spaniola, came to the only fair conclusion he could:  that the two members' words were not threatening, and no charges would be filed.  This was also the same day Shay repeatedly called me a liar, when I said I didn't remove an inoffensive post, which one of the accused members repeatedly admitted he had did so.

But the other member was still on John Shay's mind a week later.  Back in 2011, when I was blocked via Shay and his illegal policy from entering the city hall for a political debate I was invited to by the local paper, Mr. Thompson, the son of a former esteemed mayor of Ludington, pestered Mr. Shay into giving me written permission to enter city hall to debate, a concession Shay would not permit that day.  Allegedly, Shay lit into Thompson in front of a room of witnesses, including the police chief, but nobody came to the citizen's defense, nor mine, and so I spent the debate marching in protest outside the property lines of city hall. 

It made an impression on Thompson, he recounted that episode last year and stated:  "I still owe the Shyster a medical cure for his mouth that day to this day. If I EVER SEE HIM in the streets alone, he's ALL MINE TOO, irregardless of the consequences."  Those were the words that would spark this investigation, and the conclusion that he was innocent of any crime.  If you diagram the sentences, you may come to the same conclusion as the only verbs are "owe", "see" and "is", and you have to read your own mental violence into it. 

But the prosecutor's decision did not sit well with John Shay, and so nearly a week after the meeting, he filed a petition for a PPO in court using the incident report he had his police create.  When you file a PPO, one of the three area judges will decide the merits; in this case, Judge Jeff Nellis looked it over. 

The petition itself effectively recanted the concerns he made evident at the meeting and in the police report.  In the questionnaire he needed to fill out, he was asked (#2) what type of contact he had with Mr. Thompson to which he replied:  "Recently he posted threats of physical assault against me on a local blog/website.  I have attached a copy of the posts."

Now it is unclear whether the honorable Judge Nellis actually saw any real threat implied in the words of Thompson, admittedly written when he had a few too many adult beverages, but John Shay needs to do more than that to get a PPO.  Nellis determined that a PPO would be denied, saying "Respondent's behavior was inappropriate, but there is no evidence of any recent contact with petitioner by respondent.  The petition fails to clearly establish by specific facts two or more acts that constitute stalking behavior." 

When John Shay claims receiving threats of physical assault even when there isn't any threats (our county prosecutor and probate judge even agree), or any indication of a physical assault in Thompson's words, one could say that John Shay is once again twisting the observable truth to play the part of the victim.  One can only wonder why John Shay has not filed a PPO against myself, since he has declared at two public meetings that I have been engaged in repeated stalking behavior on him and his family? 

Could it be because of the simple fact that he just made everything up about me, just as he did with the nature of the posts of Thompson, and his past brushes with the Ludington police, which at least can be offered up to refute his claims?  A disreputable politician will do what it takes to retain his power and his six figure salary, whether it's crushing the reputations of those who speak up against him by feigning victimhood, or by using the power and resources of his office to conduct witch hunts against those on his enemies list.  Is this what you want at the head of your community?

[Willy]

The Council obviously wants him because he's there only because of them. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Council and Manager whose concerns are for the citizens they are supposed to represent instead of continually acting against the will of the people. Two recent prime examples are the Government subsidized housing that will soon be built downtown [a shaydee deal if their ever was one] and the Ludington Ave. west end project that they have doggedly pursued no matter what the public's opinion of it is. The Council and Shay have been Governing against the peoples wishes but the voters seem to be stuck in their own mud bog of ignorance and are to lazy to learn the truth. Excellent article X. 

[Wonder Woman]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a city run by a mayor as opposed to a manager?  We should go to a strong mayoral form of government.  An elected mayor has more vested interest in the community.  While I realize the mayor wouldn't be an expert on a lot of topics like a city manager is supposed to be, that's where the city attorney would come into play to assist with running the city.  It works in other cities!  It would also be cost effective as the mayor's salary would presumably be similar to the Clerk and Treasurer, which is far less than the City Manager.  In my opinion, the City Manager is in Ludington because it's a job, not a home.  The mayor made a decision to live in Ludington, not because they were brought here for a job. 

[jfc123]

Mike Duggan, the Mayor of Detroit has many people challenging him, the biggest is Charlie Leduff, ch 2 Detroit ex reporter. Duggan respects Leduff and answers his questions/disputes. This is the problem in Ludington, no one answers/respects Tom Rottas disputes, they treat him like crap and have no respect for him! That is why sites like this and Concerned Locals are growing. Change will come, Trumps win proves our voice matters!

[Willy]

IHaveANotion

I can understand your non support for Trump if you have allowed yourself to be influenced by the mainstream media because  they are the distributors of lies and propaganda which is akin to the old Soviet Union news agency Pravda. The current Democrat Party is the new Communist Party USA. Tune your radio to Conservative talk radio and you will hear the truth. Your Momma's Democrat Party was nothing like the Democrat Party of today. Compare Kennedy and his views and opinions to Obama and Hillary Clinton and you will discover just how deep the divide has become from days of the old Democrats and today's Commucrats. This is a serious situation and will mean the demise of our Constitutional Republic if the Commucrats succeed in their transformation of America.

[Brad]

President-elect Trump is liked by many and disliked by many, but one thing is for sure, whether you're on his side or not, he represents the disdain for the government and it's policies current and past. Citizens are extremely fed up. Until the media and Hollywood listen, they won't get it, and they will continue to offend and increase the disdain.
The same goes for City manager Shay, and his council. (It certainly isn't OUR council) The numbers on Torch and Concerned are growing, they obviously take notice and will have to concede.