Darrell Finstermacher: A Trashy Reception

[XLFD]

"Put Our Name in a Hat"

Sally Reed, a delightful LASD teacher, had just thanked the City Council in the public comment for allowing her to be able to have a Bed & Breakfast at her residence for the last few years, and notified them that she was officially retiring from the business (and with the difference in taxes between residential and business taxes, that may have been significant in itself) when up to the podium cantered a man who introduced himself as Darrell Finstermacher of Independet Rural Waste Services, Reed City MI.  He would confirm what I have been saying all along.  We need to follow the Ludington City Code and require sealed bids from multiple contractors fairly, so our City of Ludington does not continue to foster a culture of cronyism and slowly morph into Detroit West or New Flint.  He starts at 3:40 into the video.

Darrell Fenstermacher:  "I heard on the news that you would be doing your contract for waste hauling for the next, possibly, five years.  I wanted to come to ask the council if the City was interested in recycling.  Our company has been in business since 2005 [Editor note:  Well after the last competitive bids were put out for this contract.]  We currently have a transfer station in Osceola County.  We work with Osceola and Lake Counties, cooperating with the Osceola County recycling program.

I don't know if your package includes recycling, but we offer curbside recycling {describes costs for plans} And I did not know if you were aware of our organization; I would like to have the opportunity in the future to take bids on the waste hauling contract.  Put our name in a hat.  I spoke with your City manager, left information for future activities.  Is there any questions?

Mayor Henderson:  Usually we don't do questions in the public comments.

Fenstermacher:  OK, that's fine, I just wanted to let you know.  I will forward to your city manager more information of the services we can provide, so that if the city wants curbside recycling, don't know if that's part of your program now, but I would like to make that available.  Thank you.

Huge Savings... If the Opportunity is There

Let's fast forward to the ordinance being considered for adoption in the business part of the meeting.  City Manager Shay gives an overview of it, CC Taranko moves to accept, it's seconded, and the mayor asks for comments/questions.

Councilor Wanda Marrison:  (To Shay) Did you receive information from the gentleman that spoke today?

City Manager John Shay:  He just called me today.  I only had a phone call. [Ed. Note: the information about the CC voting on the trash contract was playing on at least one local radio station on that day, and was likely the first time Mr. Fenstermacher heard of it.]

Marrison:  OK, he hasn't presented anything?

Shay:  As he mentioned, we just had a phone conversation this afternoon and I just asked him to send some of his contract information to me.  I don't have it yet, but we just spoke this afternoon.

Henderson:  Any other questions, comments?  We did have a gentleman come explain a little bit and is interested in recycling, so at a future date, if this contract passes.  (to Fenstermacher) Just so you know, we do have weekly curbside recycling just for your reference.  I'm just letting you know we have it today [Ed. Note:  Actually the contract expired on January 1, 2013]

Fenstermacher:  Do you have a Waste Committee?

Henderson:  The public safety/utilities Committee looks at that and this ordinance option is in the Finance Committee-- so when it comes back up, unless the council changes the way it does business, it will go to a committee and they will decide on a way to approach the topic.

Fenstermacher:  I'd just like to get our company in front of you; we have been in competition with some of the big companies the last seven years and there has been some savings of the big companies reducing their rates, us making contracts to save ten to twenty percent of their contracts.  So there are some huge savings that may potentially be available if the opportunity is there.

The City Council Unanimously Passes the Ordinance for Renewal

The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) did report on this aspect of the council meeting, though did not mention my support that occurred briefly in my own public comment:  "...the lack of fair, competitive bids among contractors the City hired, which by the way, may continue today if you vote for accepting the current garbage contractor's deal. This will mean there will be no such bids for at least 15 years for this service. I think that shows our city management has been neglectful in their duties to get the best deal."   Neglectful, deceitful, and incompetent, but the COLDNews editors like the guy, and so...

I have to give Kevin B. some minor credit here, he did note that "the issue was not publicly put out for bids", and then he gives a background of the contracts with Republic over the years.  He fails to point out that in the summer of 2002, by the City Manager at that time (embattled and soon to be replaced by Shay), Jim Miller.  The records I was given from a FOIA, shows that of the existing records, there was no reputable bidding process done at that time.  Here's that FOIA in full, draw your own conclusions:  2002 Bidding on Waste Hauling

One can easily speculate that Miller had some sort of vested interest in not changing the waste contractor at that time, and saw to it that the City Council, who went over his own plan of initial renewal request by insisting on competitive bids, would look foolish-- by making sure Republic (Shoreline at the time) sent back the only bid, and at a higher rate.  His firing by a newly-elected Mayor Henderson-led Council shortly thereafter by the end of 2002, with no specific reason given, adds to the fact that this may have trashed that relationship.  

As it is, John Shay, in over ten years as City Manager has yet to competitively bid the garbage contract, and instead of taking care of this business back in the summer of 2012, actually waits until the prior contract has expired to renew the contract, and rejects the concept of competitive bids because of something that happened over ten years ago that was an anomaly, likely precipitated by politics.  Even when contractors who manage to hear the covert new on the local radio station are coming to his door to ask to submit bids.  The City Council, however, like the COLDNews, think this is how you do the public's business. 

[Marty Redman]

This settles the issue.  If you thought the Henderson girls gainful employment by the City was just pure coincidence or Tykoskis contracting without a contract to put up gold dollar signs was a fluke, the other contractors getting contracts over and over again like Prein and Newhof were anomalies, this seals the cake.  A contractor asks respectfully to be allowed to bid for a contract that has expired and the City Council says no that would be saving too much money over time.  Crony alert for Republic Waste Services!!!  Ludington is Little Chicago, look out for those concrete galoshes if you agree.

[Willy]

What a blatant disregard for the rules covering competitive bidding. The decision to not even consider another company's offer was an "in your face" defiance of City Code and pure neglect of what's in the best interest of Ludingtons citizens. This type of action and decision making not only looks bad but casts a long shadow over the City's integrity when dealing with competitive companies trying to provide services. Shame on the Council. If LDN were on the ball and had any guts or gonads, it would print an editorial regarding the way this Council does business. But like the liberal mainstream news agencies, LDN is not focusing on the real problems and letting the people know what is going on by exposing this type of misconduct by public officials. I noticed LDN's incomplete reporting again. That article should have stated what the code requirements are for competitive bidding and how the bidding process works so the reader could get an idea of what exactly is going on but the citizens of Ludington won't get that type of reporting.

[AQUAMAN]

Marty and Willy, you hit the nails on the head on this issue. Look how shabby and condescending the city council/Mayor treated this man for simply wanting to get in on the contract bidding for refuse collections. Is it any wonder private business owners are not coming forward for other contracts let out by the COL? This also got my attention at the last CC meeting video, and boy, if people in this town think this is good governing, then I hate to see what is bad governing!!! Like I said many times, fixed agendas, fixed contracting friends, fixed code violations, fixed FOIA replies/assaults, and the list is endless. This entire group at city hall need to hang their heads in shame, and quickly resign, but, fixed and Shady must prevail, to the very end. Disgusting and inept at best imho.

[Dave]

Unfortunately this corruption is par for the course in many of our small communities.  

Others which have these sorts of problems - and worse - are Grattan Township in Northern Kent County (horribly corrupt board there for many years), Lowell, Ada, Caledonia Township, and of course Newaygo - both the City and the County -  is famous for it's corruption. I'm sure there are others - these are just the ones that I'm directly aware of.

Engineering firms are a huge part of the problem, but also wastewater operators, lawyers, garbage collectors, and really anyone doing business with them can be part of it if they themselves are not ethical.  The problem is, if you are an ethical contractor and don't go with the flow of the board, then you will be replaced with someone more "compliant" to doing things the board's way.  

Many of the police and fire departments, and even some sheriff's departments are corrupt.  Remember this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIsoa1KTHM0

The MDEQ is also quite corrupt, and should really be abolished and replaced with something else, it's so rotten.  All the way to the top.


I think it's worse in small communities sometimes simply because so few people go to the meetings, and often the meetings are not recorded and put online even though the cost is minuscule in this day and age, and many of these municipalities have a local cable channel for public access which could broadcast the meetings if they were only recorded....well, we can't have that, can we?  Many times the minutes are produced from "notes" which are then "edited and approved" by the board.  

Now, Mr. Fenstermacher exposed this issue very well - intentionally or not -  and he is to be commended for that, as are the folks who have brought it to the public via this site.  

However, I would do yourself a favor and check his company out very carefully and keep a close eye on him if he does business with your city or town.  

[XLFD]

I just had to embed the Info Wars link you provided, because it shows exactly what would happen if Ludington's Police Chief (or Sheriff Kim Cole) said the same thing at the city council (county commissioner) meeting.  The councilors would find it a great joke just like the Newaygo commissioners, and punctuate it with some back-slapping and cheers of them doing a great job.  It's sickening how these local public bodies have been able to get think-alike stooges toeing the government expansion line at further expense of the public.

[Dave]

Oh yes.

And the sycophantic local media lets it all happen.  I think that the local media is even worse than the national media if you can believe it.

This is the extent of the BS ass-covering "response" and so called "investigation":

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/2015/03/02/newaygo-county-sheriff-...

As if Hedlund "knew nothing (Shultz Defense)".   Hedlund was the Chief of the Newaygo PD for years before this.  He's as inside of a player in Newaygo County as you can get.  Perfect timing for him to get the job, huh? Blamed the one officer who was "disciplined" - suspended for a few weeks with pay. Took one for the team.  Stool pigeon's prolly got a raise by now.

No one's asking any more questions.  Problem all gone.

Just pieces of garbage.  Corrupt and rotten to the core.

BTW, did you know that Newaygo County has two (2) MRAPS? For what?  I've seen em myself, they were parked at the county courthouse equipment lot in White Cloud last year.   They've since been moved to undisclosed locations.

[Willy]

Dave. What is an MRAP?

[XLFD]

Not to be confused with my other hip hop identity, Mr. Rap, an MRAP is a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle used often in Iraq and Afghanistan-- and increasingly in America by police forces looking to do some military style maneuvers against those they supposedly protect and serve.  Reminds me of a video from Florida that came across my morning feed, where a MRAP makes a traffic stop on someone who flipped them off.  The following meme is also instructive:

[Willy]

Thanks for the info on MRAPV's. The police start lot of the unnecessary confrontations and cause unneeded problems. These guys in fatigues are wanna be GI Joe's. Stupid!

[XLFD]

Dave,

Could you do a FOIA request to Newaygo County to get information on the acquisition of these MRAP vehicles by the county, or provide a photograph or link to show us what is nearby. 

[Dave]

I took some pictures in the fall of 2013 when I first saw them there.  Here is one of the pics I took at the White Cloud courthouse.

These MRAP's have since been moved. Last time I was in White Cloud they were not there. But here is some other info.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/231044034/Does-your-county-have-an-MRAP#s...

I know that it shows Newaygo County with only one, but I'm telling you I saw two.  One was black and the other desert tan.

It's a little scary to do a FOIA on something like this.  I feel like they are almost certainly going to put you on a watch list just for asking about it.  And that's not good, is it?



https://www.facebook.com/fox17online/posts/10152921336710540

[Dave]

Here's some better news from the Thumb: http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/08/saginaw_county_...