While Mayor Henderson's City is On-the-Rocks, His Brandy is Served Neat

[XLFD]

Mayor Henderson celebrating the most recent tax rate hike

 

Ludington's Mayor John Henderson has a lot to be proud of with his eldest daughter, Brandy.  She started out being a key figure in local politics back when she served prominently on the first Youth Advisory Committee that was formed by Mayor Henderson back in 2003, a post she continued at least through 2005.  She continued serving the public as a poll worker in the 2004 election.   The next year and for the next five years she managed to get an extended summer job at the City Marina, while her daddy helped manage the running of that agency, as reported in the marina-and-the-hendersons thread.

 

In spring and summer 2009, she was given an internship position under Heather Venzke  BH- 2009 Internship under HV   with the following duties  Intern Duties.

Brandy Henderson with Heather Venzke-Tykoski enjoying a cold one

 

That may have been innocent enough in itself, as no money was spent, and so it worked well for everyone.  In Sept. 2010, E-mails passed between DDA president Venzke and City Manager John Shay about a position she proposed to create for a certain person named Brandy followed by an E-mail to Ms. Henderson, who was thrilled by the offered opportunity  9-23-2010 Contract position E-mails   9-24-2010 Contract Position E-mails  The Contracted Jobs. 

City Marina business was winding down for Brandy and she managed to do 37 hours of billable work  Work Times   and then she was paid through payroll the $370 she earned, as these two documents tell  Payroll 1  Payroll 2. 

Right after she completed both jobs in November, she was hired on by the Ludington/Scottville Chamber of Commerce (LSCC) in a new job as the 'Assistant' to Kathy MacLean  BH in Linked 1.  Her string of luck continued in February 2011 with the extra $1000 per month voted to her illegally by the DDA, including a vote by her boss at the LSCC and her fellow LSCC members.  That job, its vague descriptions, and covert beginnings is covered here in the seventh of this series.

 

Brandy Henderson (far left) Kathy MacLean (far right)

 

On March 13, 2012 the area's Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) announced that they were looking for a new Marketing Director for that organization on Facebook.  Please note that the person who needs to be contacted is Kathy MacLean, Brandy's boss at the Chamber of Commerce and fellow associate at the Ludington DDA (aka the Downtown Ludington Board).  This is the job description. 

Previously, we noted the new 5% room assessment the CVB placed on all local lodging establishments netted the CVB a lot of extra money each year, and it was noted about a year ago that this gave that group about $230,000 more to play with in the DDA's 2011 March meeting.  The room tax is imposed by this non-public group on all establishments with over 10 units in the county, whether they like to or not.  The benefits of membership are nominal, however.

 

Who got the job less than three weeks after the notice was put out?  Here's a hint: her daddy and her current boss at the DDA and the Chamber didn't have anything to do with it (wink).

 

                                                             Brandy recommends her employers and her mother, she is very loyal

 

DATE: April 3, 2012                                                                                       

 

TO: All Media

 

CONTACT: Brandy Henderson, Director of Marketing, 231.845.0324

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

LUDINGTON AREA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

 

The Ludington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors is proud to announce Brandy Henderson as the new Director of Marketing. Henderson brings a great deal of enthusiasm for the community as well as the skills and experience that will enhance the marketing efforts of the Ludington Area CVB. In her new position, Henderson will be responsible for the development and implementation of all marketing and communications activities for the organization.

 

“Brandy will be a great asset to our marketing team and I am excited and looking forward to working with her on our goals for 2012,” said Dave Bourgette, Chair of the Ludington Area CVB Board of Directors. “For us to have someone with her skills and enthusiasm as a marketing director is only going to make our organization stronger.”

 

Henderson is a Ludington native and has lived in the area the majority of her life. She graduated from Grand Valley State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Advertising & Public Relations. Since returning to the area two years ago, Henderson has been actively involved in the community and been working for the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the Downtown Ludington Board handling marketing, communications and event coordination for both organizations.

 

“As someone who was born and raised here, I am very passionate about our area and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of showing visitors all that we have to offer” said Henderson.

 

###

 

Thank you!

 

Brandy Henderson
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Ludington & Scottville Chamber of Commerce

Downtown Ludington Board

Ludington Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
[phone]
FAX [phone]
www.ludington.org
 

[AQUAMAN]

Hey, what Mama Cass Brandy wants, she gets, period. And all the NY Lisa's in the world are going to support that liberal nepotist platform into the grave, irregardless of the propriety of it's lingering odor, cause it's online with the warped agenda of "in your faces, we own Ludington". Yeah, she's in line for the next Mayoral race job too, right? As soon as the next fixed election comes anyhew. Btw, isn't that scruffy bearded little guy getting ready to have a beer with the Mayor Jack Harper, ex-LPD Chief, hope he didn't drive home that nite after envibing those beers.....lol.

[Lisa O'Brien]

See there you go again - you are a BULLY Aquaman. Because I point out we don't know the full set of circumstances behind her getting the job, I now somehow support nepotism. Get over yourself, you don't know me. I don't support nepotism but I also don't judge someone without knowing all the facts. I feel sorry for her - any job she gets in the city will come under scrutiny because of her family ties.We don't know how many applied for the job and why they were rejected. 

[AQUAMAN]

Lisa, just got your toes out of bed and ready to battle right off the bat, get a life girl, and some sense about our local politics too while you're at it. The "facts of the matter" is, regarding the Municipal Marina jobs, they haven't advertised those positions for hire in years, not since the city fathers have all their kids and their kids friends working there for all too long. And then along comes this brand new position, and there comes a Brandy, with the advance knowledge and friends in high authoritative positions to make sure she is the one, maybe the "only one", that gets an application and hire. I'd rather be looked at as a "bully" if that is what it takes to be sober and realistic about life, than someone who always fits the profile of "going along with the liberal taint on life, cause you gotta support whatever they do, even if it's crooked and dishonest". No doubt, you also support Obama's $9/gallon gas pump surges into the future, cause you probably don't own a car either, right? Save your argumentative attitude for your spouse today, I'm sure Good Friday is a good day to do that too Lisa, glad I'm single now too. Ha Ha!

[Lisa O'Brien]

See there you go again spewing again about stuff you know nothing about. No I don't support $9 a gallon at the gas pump - yes I do own a car. I'm not for the liberal agenda - I'm a libertarian. When it comes to a person's personal life it is their business not mine or the governments, when it comes to government spending I think it should be everyone's business.  Given your antagonistic attitude toward anyone that does not mimic your beliefs it's no wonder you are single. Since it is Good Friday - maybe you should try and practice a little Christianity JUDGE NOT.

[XLFD]

I think you two are a lot closer on positions than you think, but Aquaman tends to be a bit more cynical and critical.  Let's try not to overgeneralize about other members of the Torch and concentrate on the issue at hand.  We are all a little guilty of that at times when we differ in our opinions.  I believe you both have valid points and perspectives and hope you both had a great Friday, nonetheless.

[XLFD]

Given the past improprieties that occurred regarding her employment by Ludington entities, I am less likely to give her the benefit of the doubt when there exists an 'appearance of impropriety'.  Particularly when the 'personnel official' of the CVB just so happens to be Brandy's current employer. 

She is now the sole person in charge of marketing for the Ludington DDA, the Ludington/Scottville Chamber of Commerce and the local Convention and Visitor's Bureau, also handling communications and event coordination for at least the first two.  Has she shown any measurable success in anything she's handled so far to entrust the hundreds of thousands of public and semi-private dollars she will manage in those multiple positions? 

[Angela]

its just like the CEO of the hospital - his daughter graduates from college as an xray tech and she gets a job at memorial even when there were no tech jobs opened, they created a position for her, AND her new hubby also got a better job at the hospital also............all very fishy...........

[AQUAMAN]

Nepotism is something we expect in private industry at times, where a family business is involved, or perhaps there is a tendency of a larger corp. to hire other family members of current respected/trusted employees. Locally, this was prevalent at Dow and the Carferrys. Public jobs is altogether different. Creating new positions and having kids of key officials conveniently fill them on the spot is quite another thing. Someone in NY errored in saying Brandy has a Marketing degree, when in fact this thread states otherwise, it's advertising and public relations, nothing to do with business. I would also ask where the experience from Brandy comes on her resume? I don't see where she has any experience in marketing, nor anything else but city jobs daddy got her. How old is she now, like 29? And never worked in any private industry, nor any real job outside of Ludington's crony appointed jobs, nor left daddy's house to be on her own? All of this leads one to believe, wth is next? This Marketing Director should have their own identity, and one that reflects that of Ludington's future, with specific experience in that field, imho. This person doesn't fit that profile at all, and wouldn't get a first look in private industry based on this resume alone. There's nothing really fishy about this appointment at all, it's just more of the "in your face" cronyism that we are seeing daily in Ludington at this time that has been going on all too long already, and continues to no end.

[easymoney]

It appears that Ludington is no longer a city, It's now a family run business LOL

I'd like to take this time to wish the believers a HAPPY EASTER, and those who don't believe, have a nice holiday

[XLFD]

If I was a hotelier, especially if I voted for this 5% room tax, I would be interested in the process used by the CVB to make this decision and the particulars of the position. 

Brandy is already under the direction of all the members of the DDA and the Chamber of Commerce, now she's under direction of the CVB.  Those three entities are separate and supposed to have different goals and objectives.  But already we have seen public money from the DDA filter over to the private coffers of the Chamber when they contracted with Brandy.   Are more lines going to be erased?

[Willy]

X

Only if you have a paramedic with you. I can just hear the Hendersons at the dinner table talking about that mean ol XLFD on that dam_ forum. And papa Henderson giving instructions on how a successful hit and run is performed. "Now make sure you back up and finish the job, we don't want any witness testimony."

[XLFD]

Funny, and yet scary at the same time.  Three times Ludington's First Lady Penny Henderson and a family member have stopped their vehicle to verbally harass me while I was walking or riding my bike in the past year.  It's nice to see they are carpooling, but I prefer to hear from them in writing or by E-mail. 

Brandy joined the Torch about 15 months ago, but didn't stay for a very long time by her own choice.  She's always welcome back.