Ludington City Council Meeting, August 25, 2025: Truth Warrior, or Something Like That

[XLFD]

City Manager Kaitlyn Aldrich was conspicuously absent at the commencement of the August 25, 2025 meeting of the Ludington City Council, we were informed she would be late due to 'personal' reasons.  That was unfortunate since I was unveiling a better nickname for her in my first comment, "Prevaricatin' Kaitlyn", than the one that I have given her in the past "Equivocatin' Kaitlyn".  From past actions, we believe this is more fitting as equivocating involves using vague or ambiguous language to avoid giving a direct answer, while prevaricating involves actively lying or deliberately misleading someone by distorting the truth.

Regardless, the agenda packet indicated light activity with the promise of more at the next meeting with the first readings of two ordinances. those involving modifications to the sidewalk policy and removal of a definition for short term rentals, nothing major in either case.  They dropped an action item involving a FOIA appeal made by Jeff Henry, apparently because City Attorney Ross Hammersley finally certified certain records did not exist.  

Three other action items rounded out the meeting's docket, all involved the $2 million Dock A replacement project at Harbor View Marina (HVM).  One involved choosing a contractor for dock construction, one choosing a contractor for demolition and disposal of the existing dock, the last was amending the HVM budget to reflect these costs taking place earlier than expected.  Aldrich would arrive just in time to introduce these three actions that were passed unanimously with minimal discussion other than to consult with Marina Manager Jim Christensen for additional rationales for choosing the highest bid out of three.

For that is what I touched upon during my first comment at this meeting.  I would once again have to lecture the council about how competitive bidding works, and how the process was abused once again by the city.  I attended a marina board meeting back in 2016 where they invited a representative from Meeco Sullivan (MS) in to talk about their docks. 

They have shown preference for MS at that meeting and since, having them be the winning bid for each of the four dock replacement projects despite whether they win or lose a bid.  The Marina board never approves Request for Proposals (RFPs) in front of these bids; they just have the manager solicit them without questioning whether he sent them detailed RFPs so that they can bid on an equal ground.  I questioned the absence of RFPs and other items in my comment and turned the screws on a city council that apparently feels that they don't need to follow the rules for competitive bidding:

 

XLFD: (7:30 in) "A memo from the marina manager is included in your council packets on page 44, advising the council to take the highest of three competitive bids regarding replacement of Harbor View Marina's A dock.  What isn't included in your packets is the request for proposals for this project or the minutes of the August Marina Board where this highest cost bid was recommended.  For that matter, it has been since March, five months, since the city has put out either an agenda or the minutes of Marina Board meetings.  

You are asked by the manager to choose Meeco Sullivan over two other bidders, one that bid 13% less, one that bid 35% less and potentially saving nearly $200,000 in costs.  Without any details, you are told the lowest bid does not meet all of the criteria established in the missing RFP.  Matt Hulst of engineering firm Prein & Neuhoff has a letter from a day earlier indicates Meeco Sullivan as his preference, touting their past work in the other marina.  

On page 4 of your packet, you can review the latest purchasing policy for the city passed at the last council meeting and included in the minutes.  it requires sealed competitive bidding.  Competitive bidding is a structured process where potential suppliers or service providers submit bids (proposals) to fulfill a specific need or project. The buyer, in turn, evaluates these bids based on predefined criteria and selects the one that best meets their requirements.  

This council and other administrators in their recommendations, routinely dismiss low bids without cause or the citation of any kind of predefined criteria put in the RFPs and thus make a complete mockery of the competitive bidding process, at least to the eyes of the citizens who are paying attention to the graft and corruption they see happen regularly at these meetings.  We wonder how will the $200,000 in kickbacks be shared by our city administrators.  Will Prevaricatin' Kaitlyn get her cut?  Will every councilor that votes for the high bid exact a sum of money as compensation for their complicity in this corrupt scheme?  [END comment]

Our city's refusal to follow competitive bidding practices is a hidden tax that has literally cost us millions over the years.  Christensen's memo and explanation would have us believe that the two low bids did not follow specs, yet he hides the RFP that should have had these specs explicitly defined within them.  The Ludington Torch has asked for the RFP through a FOIA request, and we also lit the fire that made them finally share the Marina Board's meeting agenda packets and minutes as of today.  

Jeff Henry, Ray Karboske, and Daniel Jensen would all deliver comments based on transparency and how the city could improve in that capacity, with Henry updating the council about his efforts to get answers from the DNR's Ron Olson and also inquiring about where the city's $500,000 portion of the dock replacements were coming from.  Officials would later indicate that it would come from the marina fund balance, but as we have seen happen quite often, budgets of certain 'enterprise funds' within the city's overall budget becomes intermingled with other funds without the city batting an eyelash.  Expect that to continue with this bunch fo officials, as they see nothing wrong with unfairly competing with private marinas and campgrounds.

This trio would also speak during the second comment, urging transparency at the city website so that people can review records dealing with what appears to be massive environmental contamination at PM Lake, with Karboske additionally questioning the city policy of advancing refunds from the general fund to charter boats using the city marina for many years.   

Gene Kyle spoke during both comment periods on a couple of thoughtful concepts.  He questioned the policy of propping open doors at the Legacy Park restrooms when deer sometimes pop into that area.  He also questioned the usability of handicap bathroom areas there and at Cartie Park Campgrounds, where it would be hard for wheelchair-bound folks to open certain doors. 

I would take my last comment to do a reminiscence of sorts, celebrating an anniversary of an event that turned a mild-mannered fireman into a raging inferno against deep-set city corruption, and explaining the mayor's part in it.  

XLFD: (1:04:50 in) "On this day 17 years ago, an LPD officer pulled me over while I was riding my bicycle in town.  If you had body cams back then, you may have seen an amusing exchange where the young dunce asked me for my driver's license and eventually wrote me a citation for not coming to a complete stop before going through a clear intersection, just like nearly 100% of all bicyclists do, and just like the laws of 13 states clarify as being legal, twelve of those since the day I was accosted.  

Our mayor, who was police chief back then, decided he would make an example of me by informing my employer of nine years that I shouldn't be denying responsibility for this infraction as I chose to do with the court.  I was threatened with being fired from my job at the Ludington Fire Department because of that interference.  Facing a more hostile working environment than I had ever encountered at a fire scene, I resigned, and shortly thereafter went from being a firefighter to a corruption fighter by bringing awareness to the problems that mostly originated from city officials operating outside of their sworn oaths and against the interests of our citizens.  

I welcome others who have taken up the fight against corruption more recent, finding out for themselves how easy it comes for the city and its tainted officers to contaminate our environment, break the laws, engage in warfare against private businesses who have made Ludington their home, and otherwise look the other way whenever evil makes its way to our town.  I welcome city officials to take up the fight for what's right when they can. [END comment]  

As I did back then, I welcome anybody to explain to me why a bicyclist not bringing himself to a full stop at a stop sign when he doesn't need to under normal right-of way rules is against any Michigan law.  I can always take the time to explain in detail why bicycle's properly treating stop signs as yield signs improves traffic flow and safety for both bicyclists and nearby vehicle operators.  To my knowledge, I have been the only bicyclist ever cited for this infraction by the LPD, at least when there has been no indication that the bicyclist stole the right-of-way from another-- which generally works out bad for the bicyclist.

I was pleasantly surprised by the mayor in response giving a testimonial to this incident after City Attorney Ross "Sewage" Hammersley explained severability and Councilor Kathy Winczewski gave us a back-to-school notice for her bimonthly "one good thing" send off-- she may need to prepare two in the future for when Mayor Barnett adds one more bad thing before the meeting's adjournment:

Mayor Marx Barnett: (1:12:20 in):  "I did want to go back and address something that came up in the second public comment period, relative to Mr. Rotta's talking about the day he took up the mantel of-- I can't remember the term he used-- truth warrior, or something like that-- and I just wanted to add a little bit of context relative to the incident that occurred. 

And this was Officer Krause on the day that he was driving down the street and he was driving through the intersection and-- as he reported to me later-- there was no stop for him, the east-west street and the north-south street had the stop signs.  A bicycle darted in front of me, I had to apply the brakes to keep from hitting the bicyclist and stopped the bicyclist.  It turned out to be Mr. Rotta at the time and explained to him, look you need to be stopping at a stop sign, and this is why, so that you don't get hit.  And he reported to me that it was his intent at that time was to advise Mr. Rotta, and to go on. 

The argument and the pushback he got was unacceptable, so he opted to write him a citation, so that's really what kind of happened as far as I understand the incident that Mr. Rotta brought up.  That's what I remember as chief back then and so I thought it was unfortunate that the officer, as we have heard the chief of police Jones say so many times and a number of other law enforcement chiefs or sheriffs, they really hope to provide education, talk to someone, if they see somebody do something, talk to them, enforcement is really the last, the last, the last  measure.   The last tool, plan B I guess is the point. 

So that's really what the case is this time.  So had it simply been an interaction whereby some activity is corrected and everyone can move on, but that was not to be, so here we are today.  So thank you Mr. Rotta for bringing that up, so that we could provide some clarity to that." [END rant]

And thank you, Mayor Marx, for the weird rite performed of providing secondhand information from 2008 as the ultimate clarified fact, right after you totally forget and misreport the term I used in my comment just a few minutes before (it was corruption fighter, not truth warrior).  The mayor's statement first errs by getting directions wrong, I was on Loomis, an east-west street controlled by a stop sign, the north-south street, William, was not.

While that was not an important falsehood, he realized his next fib would need to be bolstered by putting it in the first tense, as if he was Officer "Dunce" Krause:  "A bicycle darted in front of me, I had to apply the brakes to keep from hitting the bicyclist".  This day's events eventually went to a formal hearing at the courthouse and Krause's testimony under oath had him tell the true story, that he was about a block away and that he reportedly saw me approach and not come to a full stop before coasting through the intersection.  See the difference?  And what Barnett told the public now is basically what he told my superiors back then in a totally unethical disclosure of false and confidential information.

I do not know what argument or pushback the mayor referenced in his hearsay declaration to the council, I can only remember that I defended my right to ride as safe as possible, and part of that plan was not to stop arbitrarily and unsafely when riding my bike.  No less authority than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has put out their own 2023 fact sheet on this topic which concludes after showing statistics and analysis:   

"Working together to enhance bicycle safety by preventing and eliminating crashes that lead to serious injuries and fatalities is more important now than ever.  Many States have enacted bicyclist stop-as-yield laws to enhance safety and protect cyclists. Based upon the current research and data available, these laws showed added safety benefits for bicyclists in States where they were evaluated, and may positively affect the environment, traffic, and transportation."

To this day I don't know whether it was my laughter when Krause asked for my driver's license, my conviction that I was safer yielding at stop signs, my assertion that I will continue valuing my safety and everyone's traffic flow over his interpretation of law, or questioning the pudgy patrolman about when was the last time he was on a bicycle.  It was probably a combination of all, but for some reason, Krause either embellished the story to his chief, or the chief embellished the tale to my superiors, and they have had to deal with a corruption-fighter for seventeen years and counting due to their deep dive into deviancy. 

I'll magnanimously award Mayor Barnett the title of "Truth Warrior", because he has shown over the years that he will go to war against the truth whenever he can, showing it this evening by recanting false hearsay from 2008 as fact which only shows that he has not learned anything since his unethical disclosure made back then.