It's been a few months since I went to a Scottville City Commission meeting (not voluntarily, but they hold their meetings at the same time as Ludington), and when I went to the regular May 22, 2023 meeting it looked as if others were doing the same.  Beyond the LDN presence and myself, only one member of the public attended.  Only four members of the commission were present, Mayor Marcy Spencer absence and two recently-resigned members left several commission seats unoccupied. 

Other than the city manager, attorney and clerk, the only other person was giving a presentation on an ambitious $7.8 million water system project coming up in Scottville's future.  The project would replace and add some water lines, the most notable part being the replacement of one going the length of State Street.  The project at this point is dependent on getting grants, loans from the DWSR Fund or a combination of both.  

Unknown to me, the commission has reinstituted the first public comment period and has done so since the second meeting in March.  This action was never discussed at a meeting, but the first comment only lasts two minutes and is restricted to agenda items (see the agenda packet), so this is still not following the city charter's proscribed meeting procedures.   Nobody spoke at this time.

The first item that came up was the resignation of Kelli Pettit from the commission.  Elected with the highest vote total just six months ago, Pettit's letter would be much like that submitted by Ryan Graham earlier this year, referencing problems existing in the commission that would tend to be called corrupt behavior in most places:

Pettit would be the fourth commissioner to resign this year, joining Susan Evans who resigned late last month, along with Graham and Nathan Yeomans who resigned in January.  Evans and Yeomans appear to have had similar grievances with the commission's direction, but chose to not voice those concerns in their resignation letters.  

Having resigned on April 24th, Ms. Evans position cannot be filled by the commission at this point as 30 days have passed since, nevertheless, the current lawless group in charge of Scottville plans on appointing her replacement on June 12th, 49 days after the vacancy occurred.  

Like Rob Alway and Marcy Spencer, whoever is appointed at that meeting will have no legitimacy, the city charter and state law allows those positions to only be filled by a special election.  Scottville is such a hot mess right now.  They think by declaring the position vacant nearly a month later that they can reset the 30-day clock, but that's not how it works and whoever is appointed will be part of an amended complaint in the quo warranto lawsuit.

In other business, they unanimously adopted a special resolution, seeking to get unpaid utility bills from 45 taxpayers (people and businesses) through their summer taxes.  They tabled accepting a quote from Gustafson HDD LLC quote to do water system work adjacent to Dan Pasco's The Bottle and Can business at 108 S Main.  They were hoping to save on the $5575 quote by using an alternative to gauge the problem.  The business has suffered water infiltration since the water main broke nearby in recent years.

They added two agenda items.  Relinquishing their alley rights behind the old Dollar General building was one, and the contract for rental inspection services and other code enforcement services with SAFEBuilt was the other.  These were discussed neither were decided at this point.  This opened the door to the final public comment where I stood up. 

XLFD:  "Back when I was going to high school in Scottville over 40 years ago, I had a history teacher named Boots Newkirk who would manage to introduce his students to soviet dissident, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn who was arrested on the same day he released the text of his famous "Live Not by Lies" essay, one of his many works that indicated the USSR was based on a foundation of untruths.  One of Aleksander's memorable quotes was: "The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie."

I submit that Kelli Pettit, top vote-getter in 2022's city election, is courageous for resigning rather than taking part in the lie that is the cracked foundation of the current Scottville City Commission.  Those who resigned before her this year, Commissioners Nathan Yeomans, Ryan Graham, and Susan Evans, are courageous individuals who would not have their good names further tarnished by remaining on this clowncil, led by two egomaniacs who do not have any legal claim to their current seats according to the city charter, state law, and a still pending lawsuit in the appeals court.

Clowncilors Rob Alway and Marcy Spencer have nothing but contempt for the city charter which explains why their seats are still vacant in the eyes of the law, but not in the eyes of your blinded city attorney from Grand Rapids, who is well paid to see nothing.  They already showed this contempt long ago when they took out the public comment at the beginning of the meeting, where the charter dictates it belongs.  

These two titular officials considered themselves as part of the commission early this year, when they reportedly went to Al Deering's house before he was commissioner, and Deering summoned two other real commissioners to his house, both heavily slandered in Always' resignation letter.  Rather than realize that they had a quorum of the sitting city commission and an illegal meeting held secretly from the public, Deering, Alway, and Spencer allegedly used the occasion to try and pressure the other two to join the flock of sheep.  Alway actually alluded to that illegal meeting at the next regular meeting.

This pair thought then as they do now, that they are legal office holders, so they knowingly and willingly violated the Open Meetings Act in their minds at that secret meeting.  You two erroneously believe that laws do not apply to you; you both are a disgrace as city officials and my only hope is that you don't take Scottville down along with you in your fall soon to come." [END comment]

Clowncilor Alway kept his face down towards his computer all during the time I spoke, but one could tell he was turning many shades redder as it progressed.  The meeting moved to adjourn after no comments were made by either Clowncilor Deering or Alway, who could have so easily denied the meeting ever happened, or by Clowncilor Seiter or Copenhaver, who should have asked their peers whether such a meeting occurred and its ramifications for the four resignations that followed. They will gladly take place in the lie it seems while the others continue fabricating it.  The only citizen present, who I did not know before the meeting, appreciated the comment and wondered what was happening to the town she thought at one time had strong leadership.

Former Commissioner Alway would rush from the meeting shortly thereafter, rushing over to the special school board meeting to urge them to hold another special election in November to try and pass another bond proposal with no significant changes.  If doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, we may have Mason County's poster boy for crazy.  They at least decided to split the ballot question into one for safety and security and the other one for building the auditorium.  

Expect to see this special secret meeting come up again in the future as a reason to get rid of some of the cancer afflicting Scottville's leadership.  Four commissioners don't voluntarily swim away from a ship that is seaworthy.