Ludington City Council Meeting February 25, 2019: Fatal Aspirations

[XLFD]

Reader Alert: Unlike most meeting recaps I have published on Ludington City Council meetings over the last several years, this one will have a different focus. It will have a comprehensive review of the meeting itself, yet it will also cover a painful chapter in my own life and a medical caveat. If you are here just for a recap, please scroll down to "The Meeting".

My mother died on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. It's difficult to write those otherwise simple words, it reminds me of the finality it represents. It's not a mother, it's my mother, the only one I will ever have. Early memories linger of her caring for me when I was young and sick, recent memories of me caring for her when she was old and infirmed remind me of the crazy cycle of family life.

How to feel? Should I be sad because I'll miss her? Should I be happy, because she went without undue suffering? Should I be upset because she died so suddenly, not allowing me to say good-bye? Should I be relieved that she didn't waste away slowly? Should I go through a crazy cycle of emotions? Sure have.

So many things to feel, so many things to do. It was with some relief that on Friday I checked the council agenda packet for this Monday's meeting, out of a desire for some escapism, and saw that there was not a lot happening that could have been called controversial. I toyed with the idea of sitting it out and have myself miss only the second regularly scheduled meeting since early 2012. I recall that I had missed that other meeting due to an 'emergency' centering on my mother.

In the end, I decided I needed to go. You may wonder about how my mom thought of my turnaround with the City, of how I turned from a dedicated city firefighter into a dedicated freedom fighter with a nozzle pointed at a city hall inflamed with corruption. I wondered for a few years myself, but she seemed supportive when I was maligned by city officials in 2011 and banned from the city hall complex. By the end of 2013 when I had a string of successful legal results versus the City, she became rather interested in hearing about the ills of our local government and was proud of how I was holding them accountable when nobody else would.

On Monday meeting days, she would routinely ask me what I would be talking about, the next day she would look at her copy of the COLDNews to see how they distorted or ignored the issues I brought up. She admired my stubbornness in trying to get things accomplished; undoubtedly it was because of her own stubborn nature, a trait that may have led to her downfall.

The day before she died, a physical therapist had come to help my mother regain the strength she lost on her right side following a stroke that had strickened her the weekend after Thanksgiving. She had recuperated from that at the nearby Medilodge for several weeks, coming home in January. Before her stroke, she could live mostly independently, afterwards she required 24 hour care. Thanks to the perineal care assistance of two trained CNAs, we were able to provide that. But that morning, when her vitals were taken, her blood pressure and oxygen levels were down; low enough to have her admitted into the hospital.

The prior Friday afternoon, her doctor, James T. Ryan, made a house call and gave us a talk about quantity and quality of life. I had expressed a commitment that as long as my mother had enough wits about her to realize she was at home and appreciate that fact, that I would do whatever I could to obey her wishes. She let the doctor know that was what she wanted. The next couple days, she was eating, sorting through her mail, creating shopping lists, just like she had before the stroke, and unlike anything I had saw after. Yet by Monday she woke up out of sorts with little appetite.

Fast forward to the Monday afterwards, I had done the same. In all the years I have went to city council meetings, there have been only two other times when I haven't contributed a public comment. I had something to say this time, but I wasn't sure I could deliver it without one of those misplaced emotions breaking through the unsteady dam I hastily constructed since her death. There was a fair chance it could happen too, because my mother had likely died from speaking up when she shouldn't have, a criticism sometimes leveled against me by city officials.

Before I elaborate, however, let me absolve some officials I have sometimes criticized from being totally bad, and then relate what happened at the meeting. In the mail that Monday I had received a sympathy card from Councilor Kathy Winczewski expressing some very heartfelt compassion for my family for the loss. I was very touched, as this was something that my mom would have likely done and sent herself had one of my 'political opponents' suffered the loss of a parent and she found out.

Before the meeting, the city treasurer and city clerk made a point to come to where I was sitting and express condolences, after the meeting, Councilor Bourgette, LPD Chief Barnett, and Acting CM Steckel did the same. It's always good to see that our differences can be overshadowed by the humanity we have in common.

The Meeting

The meeting took longer than most, simply because the three city utility supervisors (governing water supply, waste treatment, and maintenance) gave their annual presentations for 2018. The reports are included here. The main ideas is that the WWTP will have to treat the same amount of sewage this summer while getting tens of millions in upgrades (the council awarded the bid and contract to Davis Construction for $20.6 million later in the meeting). Maintenance lost two employees, will have fewer street project replacements this year. The WTP work is mostly finished, and they are selling record amounts of water.

February 25th, 2019 Ludington City Council meeting from Mason County District Library on Vimeo.

An understated 2018 Budget Amendment update has the City with nearly three quarters of a million dollars in 'surprise' money mostly from the State (that's around 13% of the budget extra). Even so, they project more deficits for this year, now that 2018 provided a big surplus rather than the forecasted deficit. I'm sure we will get another round of raises and ballooning benefits for city hall workers coming up, rather than paying down some of the massive debts the City has occurred which don't show up too well on city ledgers.

A contract was ratified between the City and the House of Flavors, a rather comprehensive contract is included in the packet where the HOF is scheduled to pay the City $1.7 million over five years for the upgrades to the WWTP to up their maximum BOD-treating capacity by 50%.

Mayor Steve Miller also walked back a proposed 'ordinance' for making rules regarding standing committees, and will probably bring it back as a 'procedure' that makes the committees abide by most city council rules-- whatever those actually are. What the mayor should be doing is adopting an ordinance to put into the city code that clearly defines the procedures and rules of council meetings, and invite interested people outside the city hall clique to offer suggestions to help write it, not just give the duty to do so to an attorney representing a GR law firm.

Nobody commented at the beginning of the meeting, Sarah Holmes, speaking on behalf of the HOF thanked the council and others for getting things done. Just before the 1:06:00 mark, Chuck Sobanski wondered about why the 2019 budget didn't include putting back the fishing pier in Copeyon Park, as former Councilor Mike Krauch had promised. His query would remain unanswered. I resisted the urge once again to get up and talk about city policy or the acts of public officials. I would not speak at this meeting regardless, out of regard and respect to my mother.

Failed Aspirations

For my mother, as I have indicated, was done in by speaking when she shouldn't have. Throughout the last few years, she has suffered from what is known as aspirational pneumonia on occasion. This is a type of affliction that would arise after she would sometimes eat some food and start choking on it. The choking would often commence because she would try to say something in the process of eating and the usual throat mechanism that prevents food from going down the windpipe just wouldn't work as good for her as it did while she was younger.

My brother and I would often have to caution her not to talk while she was eating, but inevitably she would do this without thinking or when she was on the phone and food would get in the wrong place on its way down, which would follow with an infection that would require hospitalization, intravenous solutions, and antibiotics. Her vitals were so troubling this time that the hospital eventually put her in the critical care unit.

I visited her for a little over an hour on the Tuesday afternoon she died, she seemed so healthy, and was being a certifiable pain in the behind to the nursing and food staff. Midway through my visit, the CCU doctor appeared and among other things tried to interest her to use a catheter so they could better understand and correct her medical problem. Feisty and alert, she told the doctor that she read in a few places about the dangers of catheters, and nothing he could say about the dangers of not being catheterized would change her adamancy against using them. I tried to reason with her and back the doctor's recommendation, but she would have none of it.

After seeing that her food was better prepared for her the second time around, I left so as not to encourage her to talk when she shouldn't. About fifteen minutes after taking a roundabout way home, I received a call from a hospital nurse saying they were needing me to come in because my mother was having problems, the doctor was more blunt and said I needed to get there immediately as she was dying.

I arrived within five minutes, but it was a minute too late. My mother had died of sepsis apparently due to complications of the aspirational pneumonia. And the last thing she would teach me, after a lifetime of lessons but before her spirit left the room, was that it is not always safe to open your mouth and talk.

I observed that doctrine at the meeting. Will I heed that lesson at future public meetings? Probably not, because her feistiness still lives on, strongly and stubbornly.  

[Pheonix Emory]

My sincerest condolences to you and your family, friends and all those who know and love you and your family. 

I admire that you have graciously acknowledged those who offered condolences at the meeting (and via card).   It is wonderful to know those people have a sense of humanity because sometimes I have failed to see it, as evidence by their refusals to acknowledge their shortcomings or errors (which is a given when dealing with human beings).

[Freedom Seeker]

I agree, Phoenix, about the condolences given by our city hall.  It is refreshing to know that.  Very sorry for your loss, XLFD.  Very nice understanding of your mother.  Hang in there, it seems she'd expect your tenacity.  

[XLFD]

Pheonix and Freedom,

I accept the basic generalization that most local governments have a gang mentality, they would phrase it as being made up of 'team players'.  So even good-natured officials will not generally admit to mistakes unless the gang leader(s)/team manager(s) allow them to.  Former appointed Councilor Wally Cain perhaps had the best observation when he was trying to make the council pick him to replace Nick Tykoski when he admitted admiring the unity the council had developed in order to repel that guy who gets up and speaks without kneeling at meetings and makes too many FOIA requests for comfort.  This doesn't mean they need to check their basic compassion when that guy has a death in the family.  

Thanks for your condolences, observations, and empathy.

[Pheonix Emory]

"That Guy" is doing more for his community in many ways than those who "profess" to be serving the community.  These people are all paid with public/tax payer funds and they need to be held to account for their behavior, decisions and reactions. Public officials in general seem to like to blow smoke into mirrors and attempt to make understanding what is happening very confusing for the average observer.  Laws only appear to apply to those they want them to apply to and only when it fits their agenda.  If it were not for "that guy" who would be willing to dedicate so much time and energy into bringing these issues to light?  I don't see too many other diligent citizens with the abilities of intellect and willingness to dig as deep and be as patient as you have been.  Apples don't fall far from the tree....and your tree seems to have been a beautiful and strong one X.

[Du Wright]

Your mom was a beautiful lady inside and out right to the end!  And you've written a beautiful, emotional tribute.  I'm very glad I was able to meet your Mom if even for a short while on this earth.  She had great wit, humor, understanding and education even in the face of not feeling well. 

About all the other stuff in the meeting, nothing really does matter much when we are facing death or sickness in ourself or loved ones, but we must fight on for righteousness.  For what we do on this earth for Him determines what He will do for us in the next, and that's the crazy cycle of this life, figuring it all out.  Condolences to you and your family, X.  I like to think we have another angel looking down on us to watch over us and guide our steps. 

[AQUAMAN]

Very very sorry for your loss X, what a beautiful tribute you also made. I haven't had all the necessary time to review the entire CC Mtg., but one part still bugs me. When Chuck Sobanski asked again about the Copeyan Park fishing dock, I didn't see where anyone on council answered with a yes or no on the 2019 budget. Did I miss something here? Again, loving condolences to you and your entire family X for your recent loss, sad now too.

[XLFD]

Thank you, Dianne, I'm glad you caught her before she left this dimension.  Funny thing is that you and I have a ongoing lawsuit with the City and whenever I would talk with you on the phone or tell her we were needing to create or file documents for it, she would always refer to you as 'my client', even after numerous times of me telling her we were 'co-plaintiffs'.  She will not only watch over us, but I think that eventually she will argue before the Almighty about why we should be rewarded in the afterlife, not punished.

Aquaman, thanks, and there was no reply to Chuck, however, it should be noted first that Councilor Michael Krauch is about as believable as Counsel Michael Cohen, and second that Chuck may have been the only witness to his declaration, and lastly that Krauch was leading the Parks Committee until the middle of this last summer and would likely know what would be on the under-construction budget regarding the docks. 

I think it's repugnant that the City gets $700,000+ more money than they should last year and they can't spend a small fraction getting this pier back on-line.

[Willy]

Sorry to hear about your mom. The story about how she would compare what you covered at City hall and what was printed in the LDN was a revelation to me as well. As for her choking problem, my X wife had the same condition and I always dreaded going to restaurants with her because she would always try to eat and talk at the same time so I know what it was like for your mom. As long as you don't bring your dinner to City meetings I think your speaking at them will be no problem. Again I am very sorry to hear about your mom.

[XLFD]

That's my belief, Willy, that as long as I don't bring something to eat, I should be okay at council meetings.  It also helps keep the rest of my lunch down when I hear the last minute agenda add-ons.  Thanks for your condolences and sorry for reminding you about the ex-wife.

[jfc123]

Condolences to you and your WHOLE family! Thankful to hear there is heart and feelings from all and praying for nothing but good for you and your family my friend!

[MED]

So sorry for your loss, X. Your post was a great tribute to her and her inspiration for you and others around her. She's looking at you from heaven, proud of your continuing the good fight against unfairness, corruption, and tyranny.

[stump]

XLFD , sorry to here of the passing of your mom. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.