Signs of Ludington Marina Corruption

[XLFD]

Kudos to an anonymous member of the Ludington Pitchfork, our sister site on Facebook, who noticed that a crop of new signs has popped up along the perimeters of our public marinas with a simple message:  NO FISHING.  These are relatively new signs with one of the members relating that they saw marina personnel putting them up around a week ago.  In the picture below, we see four of these signs, one in the foreground, and three in the background (those with blue coloring in the back, posed over the rocks), these are located on the eastern side of the municipal marina just off William Street.  

While the signs don't totally encircle the marina, they are placed in areas that local fishers of all ages would go to ply their angling.  Around the Harbor View Marina, only one sign appears to be recently added, one that has been set in the ground, the ground showing that it has been recently disturbed, apparently preventing fishing in its northeast corner, near the condos.  

The signs only have two words and a picture on them prohibiting fishing, so we don't know under what authority they are placed where they are, on public property under the direct control of the city and inside the domain of their two marinas.  Having attended and/or reviewed city council meetings over the last two decades, we know that the city council hasn't approved of any motion, resolution, or ordinance that would outlaw fishing in these areas.  Since both marinas' installation, we have noticed fishing being allowed in these places.

Reviewing the city code in our search for relevant authority, and first find Section 66-136 which tells us:  "All slips, piers, breakwaters, basins and structures therein, to the extent that such lie within the (municipal marina) shall be under the supervision and control of the city council."  And yet, the city code understands that sometimes the marina manager must create temporary rules until the city council can make them permanent, this power is noted in subsection 141:

Since the city council has not ever looked at creating "no fishing zones" at these public marinas, the placement of these signs must have been for a temporary regulation by the marina manager, but then, by the above city law, those rules promulgating their placement must be easily accessible to public view and notice.  This reporter scoured every inch of publicly accessible spaces at both marinas and covered all of their social media pages.  There were no rules pertaining to these new "no fishing zones" posted anywhere.  Nor has the city manager or anyone else announced anywhere on city web pages that she has consented to these temporary rules after being asked to by the marina manager.

There is no authority behind these signs.  They were purchased with public funds, probably from our community development director's sign company she runs with her husband, and placed around marina areas where the general public was actually showing up to use.  The state-subsidized marinas are supposed to be usable by the general public under reasonable terms, this is typically found in every state giveaway of taxpayer money that finds itself funding the city's marina businesses, businesses including those of the private charter boats that leech off their taxpayer-funded public piers.  

If you or someone you know chooses to fish in these areas, you or they cannot be fined or otherwise sanctioned because these signs mean absolutely nothing other than that some city officials are not willing to follow the law when trying to create their own laws outside of council chambers.  Let us know if you get accosted by the LPD or marina managers, we can direct you to a good attorney.

[woodsman]

   Tom I can not believe you have  not taken a cane pole and some worms to the marina and tested the NO FISHING rule. I have a cane pole if you need one....  Only reason I could think of is some one over throw a bait and hit a boat, maybe the sign should say no BOATS as I want to fish....

[XLFD]

Rumor has it that the signs went up after some anglers on the east side of the city marina had some friction with those on Dock F, the charter boat pier.  These private businessmen ply their trade unlawfully at the city marina, then apparently have the political pull to make marina management put up these unlawful signs, and violating city law is the least of their worries, the state has a lot of its own legislation recognizing various riparian and fishing rights on public land.

Perhaps if I was more interested in fishing I would take up your 'challenge', but my usual modus operandi is to bring this up in front of the council at least once before I dare to swim in the public pool at the city's Harbor View Marina or remove illegal deer cull bait piles at Cartier Park, almost getting shot by the city's contracted government killers. 

Don't worry though, if the council can't do the right thing after being notified how they are doing it wrong, I will have some fun with it.