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.         

[AQUAMAN]

Very well said and articulated Willy. I might also add, "it's people like you who are bowing and conceding to the loss of freedom and liberty we are experiencing" as the keynote of your statement that "NEEDS HIGHLIGHTING"! The very purpose for this forum, is to show some out there truly "get it, and are not Sheeple"! Mayor Henderson, Shay, and Holman, ALL seek to betray the truth and keep their audience, the voters, dumbed-down and uninformed, thus causing them no grief to answer for all their suspicious actions and nepotism policies. Holman has repeatedly stated that if they, the people, are so concerned with this and that, why don't the 5,000 people show up at city hall meetings and air their grievances. Probably because they are afraid of people like you in power Kaye, afraid they will be insulted, ignored, or just laughed at with smirks and inuendo. That isn't what a free Republic is supposed to be about.

[Angela]

the following remark may be rude, but frankly I dont care..............those "beach patrol" people the city hired are a waste of money - the one dude, I call him fat ass (because frankly thats what he is) couldn't save a drowning fish if his life depended on it........by the time he jumped off his off road go cart, ran to get a life ring, pull someone in and bring them to shore - his fat ass would be so out of breath forget about him being able to perform CPR.  At least the city SHOULD have hired more fit and in shape people to do this job then some fat ass ........sorry but thats just MHO

[XLFD]

Angela, the actual job description for the beach patrol does not qualify them for life saving or heavy lifting, that's not in their job description:  http://www.ludington.mi.us/departments/police_department/docs/Beach... 

 

You can read more about how Ludington has okayed the driving of ORVs on Michigan's most popular beach for the last two years and the bustling streets of Ludington and more at  Ludington-is-orv-friendly  if you haven't already.  Is there any law saying they can do so without an emergency condition?  There are laws saying they can't. 

[Angela]

it says : To communicate and assist in response to emergency situations that occur in the
designated area. on one area of the job description.  So yes they are suppose to respond and assist in emergency situations --- well I would like to see fat ass in action --- if it was ever my family I would sue the crap out of the city just because they have an overweight - wait I mean OBESE - person down at the beach being paid to help people if the situation ever arose!!! omg

[XLFD]

That one line is in there, but I don't think it has much legal significance.  "assist in response" is so vague it effectively could mean to help direct emergency responders to the proper scene, drive them to the emergency, carry the stretcher, etc.  Not specific rescue or scene mitigation prior to emergency response.

The two people this year do have some training, so I would expect them to be able to do more, and one of them is a former lifeguard.  Still if Mayor Henderson believes seriously that having one member of the beach patrol down at the beach (usually positioned at the road) is safer than having three fit, certified lifeguards near the beachfront with rescue training and equipment, I want to see what he's stuffing his bismarcks with.

[Willy]

X

You forgot to add his Honors daughters special treatment when it comes to job placement. That alone should be grounds for dismissal not for reelection. If the people are ignorant enough to not want a change then I guess that is what they will get. I would propose that any citizen could hold the office of Mayor for no more than 2 consecutive terms then they must sit out one term and could then throw their hat into the ring for another stint at the job. I think that would satisfy most folks.

[XLFD]

Term limits are for making it harder for a Good Ol' Boy Political Machine to take root, and Mayor Henderson's stint at Mayorhood is a case in point.  I applaud his first term, I think he did a great job.  But at the start of his second term, Brandy issues, Byers issues, forgetting his ideals, and a host of other things came up that just smacked of corruption.  And I can only blame his association with bad boy City manager John Shay so far-- Mayor John is part of the local mess. 

[AQUAMAN]

I agree with your take on the local Mayor Willy, but here's my take on the issue in general, for city, county, state, and federal politicians. Strict short-term limits are a way to encourage more people to take part in their government, thus reducing the crony atmosphere, and adhering more to achievements and honesty. New blood with new ideas will surely be an improvement over what we have now. Why do we continue to have stalemate congresses and senates? Because all too many have been elected over and over for decades, with strong backing from special interests, party brokers, unions, their own vast wealth, and the list goes on. I feel politicians should be geared into making policy and regulatory decisions that they too have to live with, and not be selectively immune from what they expect from the populace because the same laws do not apply to them, they are exempt in all too many cases. Bottom line is this, they are taking a small portion of their lives to give back to the system of a free republic, to participate for the sake of duty, not what kind of favors and money the position can gain them in the end. I have strong suspect for these politicians that come into office basically broke, then leave Millionaires after 30+ years in the same position, that's just wrong, and causing inefficient governing at all levels, not to mention dishonest governing. I say get involved if you so choose to do so, do it with integrity and honesty, and get as much done as possible while in office, then go back to your regular job/profession in the private sector, like the rest of us.

[XLFD]

Citizen politicians, bravo Aquaman for your always lofty political ideals. 

And by the next mayoral election, we should have some good people ready to become Ludington Mayor.  Like experience, maybe you'd appreciate former County Comm. Susan Boes, or current CC Bill Carpenter, or former conservative City Councilor L. Pete Engblade throwing their hat in the ring. 

If you like inexperience, run yourself or encourage someone who thinks like you to do so. 

If you like corruption and continued high taxation, vote for the term limit extension and for Mayor Henderson next year. 

[AQUAMAN]

My pick is Pete, and if he meant some things he stood for over a period of many years, plus what he said about the subject last fall 2011, he's the man for the job, no question in my mind.

[XLFD]

If Pete comes back after two years with the same zeal he shown back in 1999, and the sensible fiscal and ethical scrutiny he started his career on, it wouldn't be a bad choice. 

Personally, however, I don't think I'd ever vote for him after he voted for the unconstitutional Workplace Safety Policy and stood mute on the unfair placement of it on a citizen for the entirety of his last year. 

[SomethingCompletelyDifferent]

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