Scottville's Nightmare on Elm Street

[XLFD]

The Ludington Daily News comes out once again to protect a public official who has obviously done wrong in an editorial in today's newspaper shown below:

I worry about the direction the City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) Editorial Board is going when they can report on the Scottville Mayor Joe Baxter situation with such a plethora of incorrect facts and with apologies/regrets for a city official who they have propped up (someone who needed to be propped up, by the way) over the last half year.  Sure it's a tragic story, but if the COLDNews Editorial Board hadn't totally flat-lined on their response-o-meters to local government wrongdoing over the years, they would have been calling for some re-evaluation of Mayor Baxter when the Michigan State Police Report came out.  But their opinion piece in today's COLDNews fell flat on many levels.

In the second paragraph, editorial triumvirate Jeff Evans, Steve Begnoche and Patti Klevorn showed their knowledge of Scottville's geography by saying that Baxter drove the truck off the end of Elm Street.  If the editors had an editor, they would note that Baxter drove off the end of Second Street.   Baxter lives on Elm Street which is nearby, but his route that morning didn't cover that, nor is the gulley at that end of Elm Street.

In the fifth paragraph, they don't clarify to the reader which arrest it was that he blew a .048 on the breathalyzer.  Since he blew well above that on his first arrest, the knowledgable reader can infer that applies to the latest arrest.  This was after they actually attested some credibility to the medication defense Baxter's lawyer offered in his 'no contest' plea the prior paragraph.

The rest of the story laments Baxter's, his family's and his City's tragic tale.  But the problems are not theirs.  The problems in this case came from a government structure that allowed Baxter to retain his position as titular head of Scottvill government when he most assuredly lied to the police after the process of driving through Scottville legally drunk in the morning when Scottville's kids were going to school.  The problems in this case came from a local newspaper that kowtows to all local officials and sugar-coated the problem throughout, including what looks to be the finale of this episode.

I sometimes come off as being excessively hard on some of our government officials, and I will admit to holding them to a higher standard.  Their first priority as an official should be to their duties, to that oath of office that many just don't seem to take, or think is a joke.  But the COLDNews Editors go out of their way to hold them to a lower standard.

I could point out all the free passes they have extended to Ludington's City Manager and the rest of the City Hallers that I have brought out extensively here.  Remember that editorial they wrote right after the City Council broke two sections of the Open Meetings Act?  It was like John Shay wrote the article, saying the City did not have the 18 hours to post a special meeting notice-- when they didn't respond to the 'emergency' until seven weeks afterwards.

Whether it has been writing about Councilor Tykoski saving the City money (by putting up $50,000 of useless signs by dint of his position in no-bid, then bid-rigged no-contract public works) or how FOIA requests have caused a letter of trespass to be placed on someone by the City, the focus of this so-called newspaper has been a bit off.  But let me prove my point by comparing Joe Baxter with Lowell Fetters.

                                                                                         Lowell Fetters

If you vaguely recall this name, Mr. Fetters was the man who lived on Delia Street who shot at local police officers last June, wounding LPD's Dave Maltbie after having a domestic squabble.  Fetters first mention in the COLDNews basically describes that he shot Maltbie, and what else he was charged with, mentions at the end that Fetters was shot as kind of an afterthought.

After that day, they reiterate the same list of counts against Fetters in an article on protective vests the next month.  Four months later, his counts went up to 32, as the Mason County legal system piled on.  An end of the year review also featured the same info.  Earlier this month, the COLDNews then posted five stories on their webpage concerning the awarding of heroism awards to the law officer who was shot, and the ones who shot Fetters, and were shot at in this incident.

Brian Mulherin, probably the COLDNews most able writer had yet to offer anything that lamented the tragedy of Fetters fall from grace, posted anything positive for Fetters, or questioned the tremendous increase of charges against him.  Editorials avoided the topic of Fetters altogether.

From this article in the July 1, 1970 edition of the then Ludington Daily News, we find Spec. 4 Lowell Fetters being touted as a War hero winning the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service in Vietnam.

Lowell Fetters, like Joe Baxter, served their country admirably and with distinction.  Both have come back and fitted in well with society until last year.  Lowell Fetters had a bit too much to drink and made some bad decisions that endangered other people's lives while using a weapon.

Joe Baxter according to his own testimony, took his vehicle out for a drive around Scottville when he was legally drunk during the time when kids would be walking to school.  Therefore, Joe Baxter had a bit too much to drink and made some bad decisions that endangered other people's lives, while using a weapon (his car).

We can wonder what made these two men act the way they did when they endangered the rest of their community, but these two men who had functioned perfectly well in society their whole life, fighting for our country, had meltdowns.  Their only difference was their choice of weapons, and who they aimed at.

If the official story is correct, I cannot find a reason to absolve Lowell Fetters' actions by citing his military history.  But neither can I absolve either of Joe Baxter's actionsby the same token.

However let's look at how the COLDNews treats Joe Baxter.  Their original report  was vague and short on detail.   On October 20, they reported he was fine, and still didn't mention anything about the cause of the accident other than his far-fetched story, even though there were a few witnesses to the Mayor's behavior that day.  On December 5, the COLDNews did report on the same things that the Mason County Press had commented on a week earlier about the MSP report.  It was old news, and offered Baxter to supply his own defense, which he declined.

On December 13, they informed us he had been arraigned, which is newsworthy and told us a very incomplete, sanitized version of the police report they got through a FOIA request.

On February 18, Rob Alway resigned from the Planning Commission of Scottville citing conflicts with a belligerent Joe Baxter.  The COLDNews glossed over that and informed us Baxter would talk to the COLDNews when it was over.  Joe, it's over; talk to us.

On March 5, District Judge Wadel gave a strict punishment when Baxter pleads no contest, the COLDNews prints all of Baxter's nonsense defense with no context of how hokey it is.

Mayor Joe Baxter                                                     and                                                                      Lowell Fetters

Will the Daily News ever hope for the best for Lowell Fetters in an editorial like they did for Ex-Mayor Joe Baxter?  I don't think so, nor do I think it would be wise.  But it is dangerous for us all, and tells us a great deal about the editors when they cannot even roundly condemn Joe Baxter's behavior at this point, and hold the actions of this Mayor to such a low standard that they praise his past when he falls down once again, taking the reputation of the City of Scottville with him once again.   At least Lowell Fetters only wound up hurting one other person and himself in his one day of crazy.

[Willy]

Another fine article X. It is amazing how LDN continues to kiss the hineys of local politicians which is to the detriment of the citizens who buy their paper. That's one of the main reasons I have discontinued my subscription with that them. The LDN is so blatantly bias it's almost nauseating. Does the editorial board actually think people who read their paper cannot discern the papers attempt to influence public opinion by rearranging or limiting the information they print? As far as comparing the two subjects, Baxter and Lowell,  I must disagree with a major observation you have noted. That being the crimes they committed. Baxter, even though he drove drunk, did not intentionally try to run down anyone with his vehicle. Lowell on the other hand intentionally tried to harm others with his firearm. Even though they both put people at risk, to me, there is a huge distinction between the 2 law breakers. If Baxter had tried to run down a police officer I would believe his story would have been handled and reported differently.

[masonco]

Did you expect any better? I thought about canceling daily delivery, but they have trouble get people to deliver out here so I think deep down that would do them a favor of not having to drive by my house when another carrier quits. I go to MCP for news and cold news for local feel good stories.

[XLFD]

The operative word in your second sentence is "finally".  Sure there's an underlying tragedy involved and we can all hope that Baxter does become whole once again, but there's more than just his fall here, and you said it.  He lied and he lied and he lied-- all while he was serving as the highest elected official of Scottville.  And that's significant in and of itself.  He was voted by his fellow city commissioners to the position of mayor even while there was significant question as to what all happened on his ride that morning. 

The acceptance of Baxter then, and the lack of outrage over his actions of knowingly breaking his probation, by his fellow commissioners and the newspaper of record for this area only makes me wonder how much of Scottville's problems is caused by similar lies and frauds perpetrated on the good people of Scottville by their sitting government.  Let's not forget, they've got a whole lot of problems going down with their current status quo:  An EFM for Scottville