Upcoming Ludington Elections

[Eve Alone]

From yesterday's Ludington Daily News:

 

Ludington elections

Three city council seats contested

LDN Staff -

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Ludington voters will decide in November who will represent Ludington’s 3rd Ward and 5th Ward on the city council and decide who will be the city’s at-large councilor.

Voters will also choose the next 1st Ward councilor and city treasurer in November, but there is only one candidate for each position following Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline for candidates to file.

Current Treasurer Linda Rogers is the only candidate for her job and Richard Rathsack is the only person in line for the 1st Ward councilor seat.

Les Johnson — who the council appointed to the 3rd Ward seat in April to replace Brent Scott, who resigned and moved to the Grand Rapids area — will face John Curtis on the ballot for that seat in the November election.

SueAnn Schnitker and Nick Tykoski are candidates in the 5th Ward race, and incumbent Councilor-at-large Kaye Holman will compete against Tom Rotta for that seat.

 

Go John, SueAnn, and Tom!

[XLFD]

Good point.  Though I'm hoping to pass an ordinance that will give us a $2 raise, if I'm elected (from $50).

[Eve Alone]

That 4% pay raise for you will be earned if you can get those other city scallawags to take a 98.5% pay cut to get their salary according to the city code. 

[AQUAMAN]

Wanda, I truly believe you have the right attitude and fortitude for the locals to be proud of. Keep up the good work.

[AQUAMAN]

Guess I'm going to have to take back that last reply, as I missed page 2 on this thread. Yes, Wanda, I too believe your conversations on public policy, and/or banishments by the city manager do need to be aired, and if not, then from whence do we seek information, if not our own elected officials? Since when is such subject matter an issue of local security? Or not to be repeated on the record here, or in other public conversation? As Willie and Lando noted, this is exactly what the problem is in Ludington, non-transparency and secrecy at it's finest. This "LOT", letter of trespass that Mr Shay so abruptly and illegally served on a local citizen, without due cause, without a show cause, without anything but vengefulness, is not acceptable for a free and democratic society. To air and publish it in the LDN for all to see, well, that bespeaks of a little man that has exceeded his authority, both on the ethical scales, as well as the legal scales of justice and fairness. But, if you don't like it, just hire another attorney, that will fix all, right? Seems to me the CoL had many other options to explore on this matter, and instead, hastily pulled Shay's trigger to expose his so called power complex. As stated earlier, I have never heard of anyone asking for FOIA requests being banned from any city hall in my lifetime. For this to happen, stick and be law, and never be questioned by the citizenry, and to happen right here in our Ludington, well, it's a pretty sick statement of where and how mysterious power evolves itself and becomes a reality. Totally against what we as God fearing Constitutional Americans all stand for and our forefathers died for.

[XLFD]

And Wanda, if you are worried about violating my privacy rights by publishing on this forum any thing you might have heard in the halls of that building I can no longer enter, send me a message or an E-mail with that information to me and I will be eternally grateful. 

However, if you consider a citizen trying to expose corruption and illegal practices happening in their city as threatening and intimidating, then by all means continue avoiding the responsibility and accountability that you took an oath for assuming the duties as a City Councilor just a year and a half ago. 

[XLFD]

I can't say where she's went, but I can say I have not been contacted by her since my plea above. 

I can also say that anyone who does happen to probe into public records around here in the City of Ludington are not immune to retributive attacks from the City Hall apparatchiks and their LDN allies.  Wanda, and any other City Employee/Official, run definite risks for their livelihood if they buck the system, just like the rest of the citizenry.   

 

[Lisa O'Brien]

XLFD,

It might be more appropriate for you to email her and ask her your questions

[e-mail]

a blog is not the most professional venue for an elected official to discuss these matters.

[XLFD]

My E-mail slot is always open.  And I try to timely respond to all E-mails that aren't spam or notifications.  (NOTE:  due to an error that has not been corrected at the City website, the E-mail Lisa posts is wrong; CC Marrison's E-mail address is [e-mail])

I could show you a plethora of unanswered E-mails and regular letters that I have sent the elected city councilors of this city, trying to seek answers to some of my questions, respectfully requesting replies.  They have decided to leave me in the dark.  To her credit, Ms. Marrison has actually contacted me, but I am afraid to say that it hasn't really been substantive contact that has helped me understand anything.

Believe you me, my first venue has primarily been through more 'professional' channels.  They just don't want to talk to me about it.  Unfortunately, these guys are likely so out-of-touch, that even if more people sent them letters or E-mails on some of these topics I have brought up, they would rationalize that it was one of my stunts.

[AQUAMAN]

Of course we all heard that X can appeal that LOT, and the appeal will be heard by the City Attorney. Whaaaaaaaaaa? He appointed himself the judge, and has no bias? He's the one that started all this with Shay to begin with. Guess when you deal the cards, you can also deal from the bottom of the deck, and no one is supposed to say anything is wrong?

[XLFD]

The Ludington City Attorney has the best of all jobs, and a lot of power.  He gets to edit/write the laws/policies adopted by the City Council; he gets to use that power to give himself judicial power, as in this Workplace Safety Policy.  Plus, he is a trusted advisor to our City Manager, as I've found out in FOIA and public safety inquiries.  Some legislative, judicial, and executive power all in one.

Yet he doesn't even live here and pay the oppressive local taxes and fees he's been helping raise, and he doesn't even pay payroll taxes as a city official he purports to be.  Nice... and thats not even considering the 70% raise he got last year while other city officials salaries stayed the same or decreased. 

You just gotta respect that audacity.  I wish he worked on the side of good.

[AQUAMAN]

Why do you suppose they looked high and low and couldn't find a local attorney to fit the bill? After all, he is filling Roger Anderson's shoes............that speaks for itself if you ever had contact with him.

[XLFD]

LOL.  The City Attorney is appointed by the Mayor according to the City Charter (sec. 3.5), so this would be a good question for John E. Henderson, one would think.  But the 10-24-09 LDN reported: 

Six area law firms applied for the position of city attorney for civil matters to replace Roger Anderson when he retires.

The firms are Gockerman, Wilson, Saylor & Hesslin of Manistee; Nicholson & Krusniak of Ludington; Douglas Springstead of Hart; Susan Sniegowski of Ludington; Douglas Stevenson of Ludington; and Barbara Gosselar of Wheaton, Ill.

Shay, in notes to the council, said the interview committee unanimously supports the hiring of the Gockerman firm. He said the firm has extensive experience in municipal law and currently represent other municipalities, including the City of Manistee." 

 

The City wound up hiring the Gockerman firm and Sue Sniegowski as the City Attorney.  Meaning we have at least five people serving in that capacity.  Why so many?  Bigger cities have the recommended one City Attorney.  The City Attorney position is paid more than the full time City Clerk and City Treasurer, yet is far from being accountable to anyone but the City Council.