Indecent proposal: Five Terms for Mayor

[XLFD]

(Courtesy City of Ludington Daily News 8-9-12, p 1 and 8)

This is kind of scary on several levels.

Is there actually 300 people who actually believe Mayor John Henderson deserves a chance at four or five terms with his track record?

Check out what he promised in his first term, and say 12 years later that he's been successful.  Where are the lifeguards to save swimmers, and why are we now spending more (and budgeted more in the future) than what we ever used to spend on lifeguards by hiring Beach Cops/Recovery Rangers.

Where's that Copeyon-Stearn's walkway?  Haven't seen any talk on that except by Les (Three Hat) Johnson last year.  No follow up.

Where's that full-time fire chief?  Your father-in-law is going to be retiring soon.

What about SOS Badger?  This 'grass roots effort' started last year by your daughter  hasn't done anything since June 2011  while the Badger running up against a hard deadline.  You guys made a few bucks selling shirts, stickers, and bottled water for outrageous prices and just what did you achieve?

Why are we spending so little on sidewalk repair and installation?  Instead of having more properties with sidewalks, the City has lost more due to all the new constructions that have failed to install sidewalks according to City Code.

Where's that self-sustained youth center?  It's been a good secret.  Were you talking about tattoo parlors or the new AGS store downtown?

And how about working with LEDCORP (Ludington Economic Development Corp.) to bring all those high tech jobs to Ludington?  Can you say LEDCORP was disintegrated, reformed into the Mason County Growth Alliance, and has led to a great big tax money-sucking enterprise that even the County is ashamed of.

This is just a few of your non-achievements, you've actually made several things a lot worse, which overshadows your accomplishments.  But I'm sure some of your friends have made out like bandits.  Gee back in April when this originally came out, the Neals and Reeds were pushing it.  After hearing too many people laugh in their face, they gave up without getting 300 signatures.  So new folks came and made the new proposal only affect the Mayor's office, because they like the job you are doing.  And it is not the well-heeled families of the Reeds and Neals this time.

City Councilor Kaye Holman.  I ran against this woman for City Council and she swore on WMOM that she was a "no" vote for extending John Shay's career in Ludington.  Guess what, when she had that vote, she not only voted "yes" but punctuated it by saying he was the greatest thing since fire was discovered.  No surprise to me, because this hypocrite beamed with pride saying that she always responded to everyone that contacted her.  My girl and I had contacted her via the mail and E-mail 30 times asking for, and never got a response.  Never.

Community Development Director Heather Venzke Tykoski.   I could go on for a while with this one, but let's remember she applied for a PPO on someone she had never met, someone she had never corresponded with directly, someone whose main offense was posting a link to a "City of Ludington" Assessor's page that showed she and her fiance (now husband) brought a nice house for a nice price, while she was signing invoices/checks in her official capacity to him and his business when the City never had a contract with him.  She then had the City make a new policy which had the same effect as a PPO for public facilities, but without all the problems of due process.

Treasurer Linda Rogers.  Are we seeing a pattern here?  These are all Ludington officials.  Ms. Rogers benefitted from being appointed just after the 2009 elections when Reeds-Mortensen retired.  Instead of a special election then, or when it was mandated when Councilor Scott retired mid-term, she just kept her interim post.  None of this is her fault, but a more law-conscious Mayor may have made her work for the post.

"I'm a big John Henderson fan, he has too much to offer the city to be limited."  Holman said.

Bullocks, the well connected families who were for this earlier, and now the City Councilors, the CDD Venzke, and the treasurer are undoubtedly worried about what a new Mayor might actually do to stop their feeding at the public trough without consequences.  And maybe actually call for the law to be followed, or even question why the City Manager and Police Chief is blocking the free flow of information to the public.         

[Wanda Marrison]

"Heaven forbid Henderson not get re-elected and hence lose his "job" at OxyChem. I quote "job" because his is a fluff position created to keep the company in the good graces of the City of Ludington."

Interesting you write as though you have first hand knowlege of this. IMO

 "As long as Henderson is mayor, he has a desk to put his feet up on at OxyChem while doing the city's "work" of staking claim to others' ideas and soaking up the glory that the idiots in this town shower upon him"

Sounds like a first hand statement to me, or someone very close to you. IMO

Sources tell me if he loses his title with the City, he loses his "job" as well...

Your sources must have very close Oxy ties. IMO

Hmmm, wonder which employee would make a statement like this? and then have it in posted in public.

Very curious now.

 

 

[XLFD]

Wanda Said:  Hmmm, wonder which employee would make a statement like this? and then have it in posted in public.

The same could be said of some of your posts, Wanda.  But I do like you coming here and standing up for what you believe in and willing to take on the rest of the public.  Your statements here and Kaye's statements at the City Council meeting, show that at least both you and her have the balls to do so. 

Unlike the so-called men of the City Council.  Besides Castonia, does any of those guys actually have a pulse?

 

As far as the poster's original statement, I would have to agree, as a person who did work there directly serving under Mayor Henderson until days after the City of Ludington passed a Letter of Trespass on me for no other reason than linking to their "City Assessor" site.  Mayor Henderson is effectively a "sacred cow", who could not be fired without risking repercussions from the City.  Think about it; that business is in your Ward after all. 

 I allow the poster of her comments, her own further defense of her statement; but your post, Wanda, looks totally intimidatory. 

[SomethingCompletelyDifferent]

Intimidatory indeed.

Apparently I should now fear for my position at OxyChem or the position of that "someone close" to me that Wanda mentions, if in fact I or "someone close" to me is employed there. But Wanda, what you fail to realize is that it is fairly common knowledge that the Mayor's position at OxyChem is contingent upon his City employ and that it doesn't take a rocket scientist or even a genius "City Councilor" to figure out those dynamics. But then, that would take a little forethought into the situation and a consideration of the possibility that our city and its big businesses don't always do things according to what's decent, right or even lawful. And that, I wouldn't expect from you, IMO.

I must say, I for one am now extremely terrified of losing my position at OxyChem or that my "someone close" will lose their position... if there was one.

[Wanda Marrison]

I sorry if you took it that way. My husband has been a union employee for DOW/Oxy since 1973.

That's 39 long years.

You spoke this information as a commonly know fact. At least that is how I read it. 

Sorry, Jim had not heard your fairly common knowledge

Mr. Henderson is a fellow employee of Jim's, and when statements like your's are made you tend to notice.

Ludington is blessed to have OXY in town. I am grateful they continue to hire and employ people in this day.

[SomethingCompletelyDifferent]

Well, the information is out there. Why your husband hasn't heard it, I couldn't say but I can tell you that I've heard it more than once and from sources who would know.

OxyChem isn't really the issue here, the point is that there are many reasons behind the push to extend the Mayor's term and it isn't just because he gives the appearance of doing so many wonderful things for our community.