NIGHT OF THE LOCAL SHYSTER POLITICIAN? MS!

[AQUAMAN]

Most recently, a well known hometown? local MC Commissioner, the ex-chairman himself, now voted out, requested that he be allowed a continuance of a lifetime health insurance policy for him, and his family, paid for by us, MC taxpayers, due to being in office with the County Commission for 15 years now. The apparent rule of tenure says yes, but, BUT!, FIRST he has to have attained the age of at least 55 before this can happen and be legally approved. Irregardless, this individual is still only 54 right now, and will be into the new year, when his newly elected replacement will take the oath of office to replace him. I thought this request simply illegal to the specific rules, negative and offhand, since the individual in question, all too well knows these specific rules, and has been in a very high position to make sure this type of thing does not happen for anyone else, cause, afterall, he was the chair and leader of the Mason County Commissioners for several of his total 15 years there. So, Now, he wants to be 1 of 7 applying to be APPOINTED to the MC Road Commission, now that another member is retiring. And maybe, this new appointment, not to serve the people's best interests, but to get his insurance policy intact for his lifetime, could become a reality, if, IF!, he get's that critical appointment. Ya'll think this guy should get that critical appointment, not up for election by voters that should have a say-so on this matter? This does not make me feel fuzzy or comfortable at all, cause, what else did this guy do during his tenure that could be of questionable ethics, morals, and good governing that we are not privy too, or are not aware of? JMO

[XLFD]

Bravo, Aquaman, you must have raided some of my computer files because I was going to bring this up in a thread. Here are the LDN links to both of those stories, as reported in this last Saturday's LDN:

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/53585-county-chair-denied-re...

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news/53586-seven-seek-appointment...

My reply to the first link has still not been published, so I think it was squelched, but this guy definitely is on the public trough, and was ruining our county in the process. Thank heavens for those perceptive voters in his district who ditched him.

[AQUAMAN]

Thanks, only problemo is, can this guy NOW get a SPECIAL APPOINTMENT to make this warped dream into reality? Will anyone, just anybody, step up to the plate of sober and ethical governing, to make sure this does not happen? Or is this another, I just wonder@ the farce, and this is so close to home here in MC, that anyone in their right mind has to ask, if this kinda crap can happen over and over right under our very own noses, and we have to endure it, endlessly, how can any of us make any difference at the State and Federal level for a real change that will keep us afloat? Food and insurance for thought? Actually, I had expected Big Dave to post this first, he seems preoccupied with the Feds., not the locals, but that's ok too.

[XLFD]

I haven't looked at the county laws regarding such appointment, and state laws may have some prohibition, but the Ludington City Code has this within it:

Section 6.6. Prohibitions:
(a). Holding Other Office. Except where authorized by law, no Council Member shall hold any other City office or employment during the term for which said member was elected to the Council, and no former Council Member shall hold any compensated appointive City office or employment until one (1) year after the expiration of the term for which said member was elected to the Council.

Schneider may have some similar disbarment in the county ordinances as he had for the health insurance. Special note: Dave Weston was appointed to the Ludington Cable Advisory Board within days after being forced out of the Ludington City Council by term limits. As the CAB is not compensated, however, he isn't prohibited from that.

[AQUAMAN]

Weston is another outlander, too often taking advantage of circumstances beyond our sanity, and too often seen at the Casino, where he has plenty of $$$ to waste, just like our very own tax $$$.

[Mary A.]

Very interesting. I'm glad these things are being exposed more often now. We have to stop all this feeding for life at the public trough, legitimate or not. It's no longer realistic.

[Willy]

Does that mean he must attain the age of 55 while in office or will he be eligible for benefits when he reaches 55 even tho he is no longer in office? Most benifits such as this can be frozen until a person reaches the age at which the benefit becomes available. In my opinion, I think these types of benefits [lifetime insurance] should be available only to full time employees or full time elected officials.

[XLFD]

Agreed, the commissioners positions are part-time and elected. Long-serving politicians in the same unit of government (especially ones who have a hand in their own pay/benefits increases)-- which is still the norm in the MCBC-- should not get these benefits. They need to term limit themselves and let their other job(s) supply their benefits, which gets harder every year because of politicians like Mr. Schneider. Here is Tuesday's LDN editorial about Mr. Schneider:

County board chair puts fellow commissioners in difficult position
An editorial
Steve Begnoche - Managing Editor
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Mason County Board of Commissioners has been put in a difficult position by its current chairman, Michael Schneider.
Schneider, who was defeated in the primary in his bid for a 10th term, has applied to be appointed to the Mason County Road Commission, Mason County Planning Commission, Brownfield Redevelopment Authority/Economic Development Corporation and the county construction code board of appeals.
On one hand his willingness to continue to serve is admirable.
But his applications also place the board he chairs in a difficult position: Voting whether or not to appoint their current leader to any or all of these positions, one of which comes with benefits beyond a per diem that three positions offer.
(The print edition offers up a solution involving a one-year hiatus between him getting rehired by the county, a position I agree with.)

[AQUAMAN]

Can anyone at all believe the unmitigated gall of this Schneider guy? In our face! And looking desperately for more hand outs? Looking for any or all of four more appointments to gain that health insurance back? As far as I know from the LDN, his term ends 12/31/10, as do his benefits. If he was 55+ in age now before 12/31/10, he may have kept them, instead, the rules that apply for everyone else, should also apply to him. Let's just see what the others on the board and elsewhere do here in appointments. It wouldn't surprise me if the fix is in already, and he will be appointed elsewhere to accomplish his warped goals. If this indeed happens, it should tell everyone in the county just what kind of people are running the works here, and what recalls are in dire need of being addressed asap to correct for the future.

[AQUAMAN]

Well, a new appointment to the MC Road Commission Board was made recently, someone named Schwass.  And, although Mr. Schneider, the lame duck Chairman wanted a vote on the matter, imagine that, he was denied, due to the obvious conflict of issues concerns, and policy of the MCC Board. A lady named Gillie along with Schwass were in a 4-4 tie vote by the MCC, so how does the board decide this issue of appointment? Luck of the draw from a hat! No kidding, this is the way our government is run locally when a tie occurs? Yupper, and Gillie wasn't too enthused with the outcome, and neither am I, nor should you be. I would have thought a recess or adjournment from the tie vote to revote on a new date and time would be more in line with this appointment. What do  you think????  

[XLFD]

Mr. Schneider created the difficulty when he decided to run for this spot instead of taking the year off.  He should have had the tie-breaking vote, but was stymied.  Your solution sounds reasonable, Aquaman, but the 'coin toss' solution may have been a legitimate alternative if all the 8 voters were solid in their viewpoint.  The solution they made has been used before in politics. 

Personally, I would prefer the two candidates at that point to get out the cards and some chips and play 'winner-takes-all'  games of Texas Hold 'Em until one gets busted-- the loser. 

[AQUAMAN]

From the information in the LDN, it appeared only one tie vote was cast. In this civilized democracy, we call for a recount, revote, pause and try again. Sooner or later, the MCC board would have broken this tie, demand it, or don't let them go home till they do their jobs correctly, imho.  This "carnival act" of a luck of the draw, as Ms. Gillie so aptly referred to it, is "bizarre" at best. Or maybe we should just have arm wrestling matches, horseshoe throwing contests, hold your breath till you bust, to see whom wins, eh?