Ludington City Council Meeting, May 8, 2019: My Paparazzi

[XLFD]

A lot of items came before the council on the evening of May 8th, which likely led to its length of 95 minutes.  Some minor issues of clarification came up, but not a lot of controversy, here's the agenda packet.  

It started getting a little weird when, unbeknownst to me, our friend Danny 'V' Vargas, despite having a lot of available seats, took the one behind me.  After the initial invocation and pledge, I got up first for public comment, and you will see in the video that Danny got his camera out and took a picture as I got to the podium.  I praised the direction the City was going in my comment.

May 6th, 2019 Ludington City Council meeting from Mason County District Library on Vimeo.

XLFD (2:15 in):  "The City of Ludington is moving in a great direction. A public body does its best, not when it operates under its own arbitrary routines, but when its officials operate in accordance with structured rules designed to define their responsibility, equity, accountability and transparency they owe to the public. Jesus was quoted by Matthew as saying "Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant." Those officials who wear the mantle of public servant with the proper mix of pride and humility are among the greatest of all.

To have a meaningful code of conduct for city government succeed, all officials need to understand it and be able to be supported by other officials when they report suspected and plausible violations of it. Rules do not mean much if nobody enforces them, or enforces them unfairly toward one person or group. They then just become a liability, so please speak up when the conduct of any of your peers is clearly not appropriate, for your status will be elevated in the public's eye.

After over 100 years of unstructured routine, Standing Committees will finally have their own place in the city code after tonight if Ordinance 398-19 passes. The ordinance you vote on will be a great improvement on making these committees more open and accessible to the public. The public has been disappointed in the past by often getting blind-sided by issues that they either hear about the first time on the weekend before its passed, or on the day afterwards. With this code of conduct for committees, that hopefully will become a thing of the past.

Lastly, may I suggest that the council readopt Robert's Rules of Order as they did in 1951 and 1967 without ever un-adopting them since. This would complement the new code of conduct meant primarily for city officials with a code of conduct meant for the orderly running of meetings. Thank you. [END]"

I was followed by David Johnson, a Ludington business owner since 2008, when he invested during an economically down time in the downtown.  He made a very strong case for why short term rentals (STRs) should be allowed in the downtown area, by way of changing the definition of 'boutique hotels' to include any amount of rental units rather than a minimum of four.

The consent agenda passed without problem regarding approving the last meeting's minutes, adopting the agenda, and paying the bills.  The committee reports in the new set up have changed so that the committee leaders summarize what was covered in the last meeting of their committee.  Councilor Dave Bourgette had a little confusion, missing the last meeting over the new system of doing things.  

City Manager Mitch Foster introduced a 'code of conduct' meant to serve as guidelines for behavior for city officials and employees.  There was a fair amount of discussion between the councilors (especially Serna and Rozell), but at about 22:20 in the city attorney made the night's most amusing malapropism when he used the term 'under the sheets' to describe talk outside of an open meeting.  This policy may see some time at the committee level before becoming an action item, as there seems to be some belief that officials and employees should have different codes.

Foster also explained performance contracting and how it might benefit Ludington to balance their budget most effectively in certain areas.  Following this, both ordinances in old business were passed without any problem.  The first clarified and coordinated when and where transient businesses and their ilk were permitted.  With passage, the council can now permit additional merchants to set up.  The second defined the scope, obligations and constraints of the city's standing committees.  They will have regular public meetings and will follow most of the strictures of the Open Meetings Act.

The councilors permitted United Way's 2019 Suds on the Shore, starting on August 17.  They permitted the kids to operate lemonade stands for the childhood cancer campaign on June 1 2019.  Treasurer Tom Ezdebski and his wife runs this campaign yearly.  2019 Budget amendments were approved, they seemed to be mostly in the City's favor.  

The 'crack sealing' bid was given to low-bidder, Wolverine, without issue.  Additional engineering fees were paid concerning WWTP upgrades (and kept within the agreement with House of Flavors), and the SEIU effectively negotiated a 3% increase in their salaries (matching the non-union raise given last fall) in non-contentious bargaining.  

The new sidewalk policy was introduced for first reading, where certain areas of priority would be stressed (this may change now that the school bond passed), and those currently mandated to put in sidewalks could more easily avoid putting in or repairing a sidewalk if it's not in those areas.  Councilors Rozell and Serna also led the conversation with questions and hypotheticals.  Changing the definition of boutique hotels to accommodate downtown STRs by ordinance also had its first reading.  The main confusion was what zone Councilor Johnson's house fell under.

The last item of business was passing a social media policy, and this passed without any discussion (more on this later).  The two aforementioned councilors used their time during the councilor period to look again at the recycling issue.  The mayor brought up three issues about the range of the LMTA buses, and Councilor Serna noted that the LMTA can be contracted out to Oceana County Medical Care Facility and wondered about the fairness of the LMTA in doing so.  

He also asked for more discussion between the city manager and MDOT to address issues that mutually affect both entities on Ludington Avenue and state trunk lines.   Mayor Miller also noted that the Marijuana Ad Hoc Committee had went to Kalkaska for research on their advancing of five facilities in progress for rec marijuana.  

The last comment feature C Dale Bannon, back from vacation, wondering about Robert's Rules of Order and wondered why the city wasn't following it, but noted that the City was ran better than others he was at.  He noted that the pedestrian signals are confusing to visitors.  Chuck Sobanski followed, hoping for equal consideration of sidewalk projects done in each ward.  John Terzano, gave kudos to the Q Smokehouse for their recent award and business model.  

Lyla McClelland complained about deer infestations near the downtown.  I would have followed but I had a comment speaking against the bond proposal, and didn't want to extend the meeting, which adjourned shortly thereafter.  And then it got weird afterwards once I got home and noticed I had a paparazzi (independent photographer who take pictures of high-profile people, such as athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects go about their usual life routines) in Danny V.

The picture he took at around 11:53 into the meeting was placed on Danny V's Facebook page with a rather insulting caption towards me and a laugh emoji from the 'City of Ludington':

I never saw this, as Danny V has me blocked from his webpage for making him look like a fool in the past.  Fortunately, a friend did, captured the above images and told me and the new city manager about it that night.  I thought it was incredibly ironic that this lack of professionalism by the 'City of Ludington' Facebook page administrator took place on the very night the city council passed their social media policy which said in its preamble:

That communications made on behalf of the City with the public should be in a user-friendly manner, in correct form and properly authorized.  Inside the policy, among other provisions is #6 which says:

Which implies that laughing at this bizarre representation of this citizen, who has been banned from city hall for 14 months without a reason in the past, reflects the goals, objectives, policies and views of the City-- and not the personal views of the site administrator.   

I really have to assume that's the case too, since over the next two day period, I received no sort of explanation as to who 'laughed' for the City, or why they felt this oddball behavior by the mayor's best bud of taking photos surreptitiously of an individual's back wasn't something that most would consider intimidating.  I can recall the previous city manager, John Shay, accusing me of taking pictures of his house on two occasions (which never happened), and recklessly libeling me with that and other slander in order to misdirect the conversation away from the fact that I had won court cases over the City (and John Shay as an individual).  

When you're defamed in such manner, it makes this seem a bit less by comparison.  However, I sent out a letter to Mitch Foster this afternoon, and hope that he has been able to determine who violated their new policy and why, and whether they will be reprimanded accordingly.

[Freedom Seeker]

Ironic! It's not so much the hat, it's the attitude under the hat. And I think it may be orchestrated by the big city dirty politics of people who do not understand truth and democracy. It's just a continued cover-up of unethical issues that happened years ago. Things that were definitely wrong that the new paparazzi power thug probably knows nothing about or else is a lemming of bad city hall behavior to cover up and advance his position.

[XLFD]

FS, you must have heard about Danny V's latest post on social media.  I don't think the City of Ludington has, because they haven't 'liked' it in some way.  It referred to those who may be sympathetic with my point of view as 'lemmings' and making other unqualified threats:  "...Let this be the alert to him and any of his lemmings. I will not put up with [XLFD's tactics]. And use the very tactics that he has aspired to."

My tactics have been researching public records, then reporting on and confronting corruption and bad policy where it's found.  Somehow, I think that isn't the tactics he has perceived with that mechanism under his hat.  Somebody should let Danny V know that I have proudly been processing intimidation directed against me into inspiration directed for me for over ten years.  I'm damn efficient at it by now.

[Freedom Seeker]

Yes, X. I have my band of loyal paparazzi watchers keeping me informed. I believe the new city manager may keep his staff in line with social etiquette, but it is the Otherside of local government that can't legislate itself. Well it can, and it does legislate itself, but ignorance spawns greater ignorance and garners the type of paparazzi who loves big city dirt politics guising under straw hats.

[Willy]

Thanks for that article X. There is nowhere else this kind of accurate and unbiased information can be found.

While trolling the internet, on a tomato gourmet site, I found a photo of Ludington's own resident New Yorker.

[XLFD]

I know that he's excited about his prizewinning tomatoes, but he really should wait until after I've said my comment-- especially since he has rose to such a high position in my fan club.  That doesn't look like a tomato trophy in his hand (maybe a mirror?).  Love the cartoons, Willy,

[Willy]

Actually it's the prize winning tomato itself that El Presidente Danny is holding. Below is a photo, courtesy of the tomato contest officials, which shows the rigid growing fruit forming when being observed by some of the female judges.

Thanks X, for the comments.

[AQUAMAN]

I'm really quite surprised and shocked that this little man Vargas was allowed by our new esteemed Mayor to conduct himself in this unprofessional manner of taking pictures/video in a formal council mtg. in this fashion. What also is unusual is the way Danny twitches his head, all the time, every second, minute, hour. Looks like a serious mental, nerve, sociopathic type of behavior to me anyhow. This is only like his third cc mtg. since he moved here from NYC about 2-3 years ago, so his knowledge of Ludington's history and politics is drastically lacking in all respects. Maybe he should seek some medical help for his illnesses, and go to the library and study up on our town now.

[shinblind]

Careful X. 

Danielle the Vamp looks overtly moist.

Might  have a shrine to you in the corner of his basement.